PrintingNews.com

Finding profits is not easy in any sector of the print marketplace, but the direct mail segment has been going through even more rapid and far-reaching changes than just about any other. You can put a lot of the blame on the rapid rise of Internet marketing. Every printer dealing with direct mail providers has felt the impact of Google Ad Sense, Amazon, and the rest of the eCommerce phenomenon.

Of course part of the solution is an age-old one: If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. But the truth is, many commercial printers lack the expertise in database management the new direct mail environment requires. A vast majority of direct mail campaigns are now more accurately called "direct marketing" or "direct response" campaigns, because the print portion of the effort is simply one of many aspects of the overall campaign.

Old statistics which show more favorable response to print over electronic delivery need to be taken in the context of rapidly growing Internet use. The phenomenon of iTunes, various electronic book delivery formats, digital magazines, the Amazon Kindle, and an array of interactive media indicates a growing comfort with electronic delivery. While mom and dad may still print out the photos and PDF files rather than read them on screen, the coming generation has become adept at reading and consuming non-print media.

Add to that the simplicity of online ordering, the growing comfort with online security for making all kinds of financial transactions, and it becomes clear that the position of print is best preserved in the context of partnership with online delivery of content.

The Many Strengths of Print

Which is not to say print does not continue to have some strengths online delivery cannot match. Selling customers on print can simply be a matter of selling to these strengths.

1. The ability to make color critical choices is still limited because of a wide disparity in color calibration for home computers. Retailers simply cannot be confident their customers are seeing colors correctly on screen, and as a result it is quite common to have items returned because they do not match what consumers are seeing. That can be a problem in commercial printing too, but with today's color-control systems, it is very greatly reduced.

2. There is still a significant portion of today's buyers who want to hold something in their hands, and you just can't do that online. The editor of Harper's magazine, Lewis Lapham, says he disagrees with those who have predicted the death of print. "People won't stop using the Internet, but Harper's is specifically designed for people who like to read on the page," he noted. "It's not about data. It's about expression. Readers look at it as a welcome relief" from the Internet juggernaut.

3. Credibility is still the hallmark of print. The instant-on character of the Internet has many advantages, but even though the number of errors appearing in print publications appears to be on the rise as they compete with more timely competitors, print has the advantage of being edited, vetted, and proofread. People still tend to put more trust in what they read on paper than what they see on screen. In fact, even confidence in the credibility of television news is on a downward spiral.