Print in bloom. by Scot Maitland
A
colleague of mine recently posed the following question,“ Do you think magazines will be obsolete, and if so, how soon?” As the founder of Pharmacy Marketing Quarterly, I responded with a resounding no, but there was one reply that gave me a chuckle,“ since there’ s been no suitable replacement for the toilet, and that is where magazines are read, I’ m sure they’ ll be around for quite some time.” Regardless of where you read your magazines or newspapers, what is changing is the role of print, and it’ s ability to attract new customers.
Print is alive and kicking. A study reported in Ad Age found that wealthy Americans, those who make at least $ 100,000 annually, opt for traditional media outlets over new media options. And that makes sense; we live in a world where we are bombarded with“ new media” and crave more traditional media sources. But it’ s not just the affluent who read magazines; 93 % of Americans read them, and those that opt for reading on a digital device( iPad, Kindle, etc.) still want a printed copy. That’ s the good news. The bad news is that your print ad can’ t stand alone anymore. It needs to be tied in through relationships and“ new media.”
Relationships When choosing a print publication, choose one that has a sales representative or account manager. The most important aspect of any print campaign is building a relationship with this person. Who does this magazine appeal to?