When discussing print versus online media, fixed parameters of scope are needed. For instance, the metrics of evaluation change radically if the discussion is about children growing up in a digital rather than a print world. Regardless of the conversation, print and online are almost always regarded as combative forces. This is especially true when discussing advertising and marketing.

So what do experts say about print versus online marketing and/or advertising? They say you need both to survive.

Recently, The Journal of Advertising Research, with the Wharton School, released a monumental study consisting of more than 20 articles called The Future of Advertising. The research showed that all forms of advertising — print, online, television — are effective. Especially if they are all working together in a marketing mix.

The future of marketing, according to this landmark study, is that integration is the way to go. Online advertising is facing obstacles just as print is facing a difficult time. While print is facing monetary issues, online advertising is coping with issues like whether targeted marketing can go too far, or what advertisers can or should do if consumers start opting out of targeted marketing. Indeed, there are even some crazy people who think the new frontier in marketing is nothing other than a refurbished presence in print.

Research is showing, increasingly, that despite the hype, there is not really any death match at all between print and online marketing. They are partners and can work together for you. Each has its advantages, each has its disadvantages, but when mixed together, they create pure brand magic.

The preparation for the death of print has become more vigorous in the last few months. But before you buy enough black clothes to last a respectable mourning period, consider an article that Folio Magazine author David Mammano wrote about a month ago. Mammano emulated Dave Letterman with a top ten list for why you should continue to advertise in print. Some of his key points appear below. Mammano makes a strong case for the preservation of print. Let us know what you think.

Cocktail Party: A print publication allows your customers to meet your company and your brand. If you think your customers may not reference print anymore, consider a study Foresight Research conducted about a month ago. In a survey of automotive consumers, almost half said they had turned to a print publication first to research what car they wanted.

Focus: Print demands concentration. When a person is online, they are likely distracted by email messages, RSS feeds, and a desire to check the ever-changing stock market at CNBC.com. If a person sits down to read, that is his or her primary focus, which means there is a stronger chance of your ad attracting attention.

“Reading Material”: Mammano points out that unlike computers, print material can go anywhere. You don’t see racks of computers in a restroom, do you?

Print has the info: Interestingly, Mammano quotes a Retail Advertising and Marketing Association survey that echoes what Foresight Research found. According to the survey, 47.2% of shoppers will start with a print publication to research a new product and then move to a website. Is this how you conduct research before a big purchase? How do your customers find you?

Pass it along: Print does not alter. If your ad appears on page 26, it will always be on page 26. Online, content can change before your very eyes. New “breaking news” bulletins can show up, advertisements rotate, and links are constantly changed or broken. It’s difficult to find an online article or ad a few months after it appears. Print remains comfortably permanent.

One point that Mammano doesn’t touch on is online behavior. Increasingly, internet users are using the web to socialize, not to do business. Take a look at this very interesting Ruder Finn User Intent study and see how the intent of internet users is increasingly distant from readers of print publications. http://www.ruderfinn.com/about/news/rf-s-new-study-of.html

Is print really dying? It certainly is not in good health right now, but Mammano’s list touches on just some of the reasons why it might be good to root for print — at least a little.

Whether we like it or not, we live in a time of profound change. Technology and the Internet are altering basic functions of daily life at a dizzying pace. But it’s not the first time human society has faced such challenges.

When it comes to changes in modes of communication, few periods can compete with 15th-century Strasberg, Germany. There, sometime in the early 1450’s, Johann Gutenberg was at work on a device that would totally transform human society — the printing press.

Before Gutenberg’s press, most people had not even seen a book let alone possess the ability to read one. Local news and information were conveyed by word of mouth. You remember the Town Crier? “Eight-o-clock and all’s well.” News of the larger world was part of the Sunday church service. Paper and quills were rare and expensive and, anyway, most people could not even write their own name. The greatest minds of the time relied on teams of scribes to hand copy their thoughts one book at a time and all in Latin or Greek, the languages of the elite. Only the wealthiest could afford to buy books and be sufficiently educated to read them. The common person mostly lived without “input.”

Gutenberg’s press ended all of that and began a perfect storm of change for human society. Suddenly, hundreds and even thousands of books could be printed each year and at a fraction of the price. With the expanded availability of books, more people learned to read, schools were formed, and the demand for books expanded with the wild notion that now they should be written in the living native languages of the readers. Within 50 years, 21 million books were printed. Human society was transformed.

How is our experience with the expansion of the Internet and communication technologies diffferent? Print is a proven form of communication, but if the expanded availability of information through the printed book spawned all that has occurred in the last 500 years, what can we look forward to in the years to come?

Call me old fashioned but there is nothing quite like a printed newspaper when it comes to a Sunday Morning. Sure, many of the stories have broken online already but the casual vibe of a printed newspaper and its supplements strewn across the doona or breakfast table can not, in my mind, be matched with the online counterpart.

So I now wonder, is it the ritual of reading the printed newspaper that I have fondness for and not so much the actual ink itself? Is the Sunday newspaper symbolic of the proverbial ‘day of rest’ and not the source of information it was pre online-news days? How do you read yours?

With the July 4 holiday weekend upon us, I wanted to be sure to get this blog post published before heading out for a festive few days since it covers such a timely piece of research. So without further adieu …

A research brief from The Center for Media Research caught our eye this week: their June 30 briefing, “Coffee and the Web for C-Level Execs in the Morning.” According to Forbes and Gartner, 67 percent of C-Level executives named the Internet as the most influential and important source of business information – a number that’s increased 37 percent since 2004. Conversely, the numbers of execs who say newspapers such as the Wall Street Journal are their main source of business info has decreased 36 percent since 2004.

So, what does this mean for media relations pros?

Well, for starters, it means the landscape is shifting fast, and we need to keep up. Changing the way we choose keywords, mentioning competitors and reevaluating media targets is a good place to start.

Keywords

In an earlier post, I wrote about the importance of inbound media relations. Taking the time to choose the right keywords that will provide the highest return can net big exposure. Thanks to online news alerts and automated feeds, a company’s target audience could very well be set up to receive information specific to their interests. So knowing what types of keywords they’re likely to plug in for Google News and other automated alerts will increase the chances that your news gets delivered when relevant alerts are in place.

Mentioning Competitors

One of the golden rules of media relations used to be to never mention a competitor, but with online information, it could be advantageous to mention the competition in an effort to gain exposure. This strategy should be used very cautiously and judiciously but shouldn’t be ruled out altogether. In press releases, blog posts and other online efforts, for example, it can pay dividends if you can strategically ride the coattails of a well known competitor to reach new audiences, set the stage for favorable product or service comparisons, or specifically target the customers or followers of a particular competitor.

Since online news alerts and automated feeds allow anyone to pick up news containing particular keywords, using a competitor’s name can be one of the best ways to quickly expand your audience. But don’t do startups and lesser known competitors any favors by mentioning them in your communications.

Media Targets

Increasingly, execs view online news sources as legitimate competitors of print publications. The landscape is changing, expanding the reach of smaller publications and hurting the established titles that executives have trusted for years. In response, we should reevaluate the way we analyze media outlets and change the way we prioritize media contacts as needed.

After all, this trend will likely continue to develop, at least for the foreseeable future.

So how else does this impact your work? Drop me a line or post a comment to share your thoughts.