Print is dead. Long live print!

One Friday afternoon I opened my mailbox and there behind my bills, sales leaflets from Aldi, Media Markt et al is a large envelope marked with the monogram LV. It being addressed to my wife, I hand the oversized envelope over to her and she slowly opens it with great care and suspense. She pulls out a finely composed magazine labeled “The Book” #1. She turns to me and says, “Don’t peek until after I have looked through it tomorrow in daylight.” She always says this to me, firmly believing quality printed material must be viewed in daylight.

Currently there is a lot of talk centered around content marketing and story telling. I have noticed a slight increase in corporate print publication. Much of this printed material is being sent out to loyal customers, but there is a lot being handed out in stores and/or at events. Brands are putting together well written, finely produced printed material which literally lands in the customers hands, and for free. These corporate magazines also become starting points for active dialog and foster sharing with their customers across channels like Snapchat, Twitter and Instagram. They complete the brand experience.

So what is the pay-off? As I illustrated above, brands are seeing the value in telling the wider stories beyond their products. This tactile experience goes beyond the product’s features by drawing the reader into a world of inspiration. Brands can use this medium to deliver focused and relevant stories to their customers. Magazines also have a long shelf life.

All this sounds obvious, but creating content and producing a publication across channels is not easy. It takes a real investment and a long term brand strategy. But the pay-off can be substantial. A magazine can avoid the conflict of interest that might come with different forms of promotion. People remember things through association. So if brands deliver interesting stories, they can manifest themselves in the customers’ minds long term.