With The Print Show fast approaching, what is the value to print businesses of taking time out of the busy office? We reflected on our day at the IPIA Conference along with Brendan Perring and Fiona Robinson.
The IPIA Conference at the Manufacturing Training Centre in Coventry gave attendees a day filled with networking and numbers as speakers shared data driven evidence of the continued effectiveness and value of print in a digital world.
Under the title ‘Beyond the Margin’, presentation themes explored the future shape of the UK economy, the multi-faceted value of print in marketing campaigns, sustainability and a fascinating discussion on the implications of AI in the print industry. Brendan Perring, General Manager of the IPIA explained the mission and some of the key takeaways from the day.
“Every talk was designed to give the audience a mixture of data, facts and inspiration that could be taken back to businesses to better utilise print for their clients” said Brendan. “Whether it was on growth markets, sustainability or how businesses even think about what their product is and how to communicate that to the customer, the programme was designed to give print businesses the tools and information to explain the benefits of print as part of a media campaign.”
Brendan, along with Carey Trevill of Mission Element, unpacked the data from the IPIA’s research and advocacy project ‘A New Narrative for Print’. The methodology by Madano involved analysis of over 12,000 online conversations to discover how print is currently perceived in key markets and how those perceptions can be positively changed.
The results overwhelmingly showed that print is seen as an authentic and trusted medium that looks and feels good. With a reported 99.1% net sentiment, the programme suggests the tangible nature of print increases credibility, deeper engagement through retention and recall and longer-lasting consumer relationships.
Jonathan Tame from Two Sides dispelled many of the myths around the unsustainability of print, explaining how European forests are not shrinking but have grown and how going ‘paperless’ as an environmental claim is hard to back up.
Brendan explained, “One of the greatest push backs is that print is, in essence, unsustainable. The Two Sides talk was a really great eye opener, giving the data and facts to take back to clients that have reservations. You can now point them directly to an organisation that will give them the information to overcome those concerns.”
JICMAILl and Market Reach made the case for direct mail with data showing that mail is the most read marketing medium and holds attention longer than any other.
“The IPIA has generated several resource documents from ‘A New Narrative for Print’ that print businesses can access from our website. JICMAIL offers loads of free information in the form of white papers and guides. You can also get direct access to JICMAIL data through a very straightforward training programme to utilise their system, which gives access to vast data sets that can be used to provide marketing consultancy for clients to strengthen their campaigns.”
Fiona Robinson, Country Captain UK at Print.com shared her thoughts on the day.
“You can’t beat a great stat…especially when it’s about print! There were plenty of big ones flying around, and they really stacked up. The evidence is clear: print is a powerful force in any marketing campaign, especially when it works in harmony with digital to drive real ROI.
Now more than ever, it’s up to us to be ambassadors for our industry. We need to challenge outdated perceptions of print. In today’s digital-heavy world, print cuts through the noise, captures attention, builds trust, makes brands memorable, and supercharges digital performance. That message came through loud and clear.”