When you look around today’s marketing world, you’ll see an incredible number of digital advancements and creative communications. Among all this, however, print still occupies a powerful place in marketers’ toolkits. Digital marketing has its own advantages, of course, but it’s hard to beat print when you’re looking to make sure your brand is noticed and remembered.
- Print has the ability to build stronger recall and emotional connection, thanks in part to its multisensory approach. As a physical, tactile piece of media, print can engage several senses at once, which in turn creates more of a connection and better recall of the content down the line.
- Print requires less effort to stay attentive, or reduced cognitive load versus digital. Where screen readers may be distracted by multiple moving elements on a digital screen, print readers can pay attention to just one, singular message, leading to better focus and recall.
- Reading on a printed page (rather than on a digital screen) increases reading comprehension. For marketers, this means audiences get a better understanding of the brand’s messaging and are more likely to be persuaded into action.
What Science Says About Print
Marketers often know from experience how powerful print can be, but they’re not the only ones! Several studies have looked at print in the context of memory, reading comprehension, and other factors important to marketing.
One 2023 study from the University of Valencia considered reading comprehension by comparing print and digital leisure reading habits and their corresponding levels of comprehension. This study found very little relationship between reading comprehension and digital reading, but a significant, positive relationship between comprehension and print reading. After evaluating their data, the researchers noted that print readers may have six to eight times higher comprehension than those who read for the same amount of time using digital devices.
Another 2023 study published in the journal PLosOne found that the act of reading from a screen requires greater cognitive load and produces lower attention than reading physical print. Taking a neurobiological approach to comparing the methods of reading, the study measured brain activity in certain regions of the brain during both screen and print reading. After comparison, print was found to be better at activating higher-level frequency brain activity, which in turn is connected to greater attention, recall, and focus.
These recent studies are far from the only scientific considerations of different reading methods and channels. A 2014 study from the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand found that increased digital reading does lead to an increased amount of reading on a broad level, largely due to the increased ease of accessing more material. With that said, however, more digital reading also had a negative effect on readers’ patience, increased skimming and multitasking, and led to higher distraction and more eye strain.
Digital and print both have a role to play in today’s marketing world, as long as marketing professionals understand the strengths of both. They can even complement each other! Digital-driven solutions such as QR codes, augmented reality, and personalized URLs can enhance print with extra personalized and interactive elements, providing audiences with both a tactile, memory-building print experience and a customized, engaging digital experience, all at once.
Priority Press has the resources, equipment, and expertise to work with you to develop the best strategy for your brand. We’ll combine the best of our extensive print knowledge with creative boosts from the digital world, all to bring your brand to life and achieve your goals!
