6 Myths About Print–BUSTED!

Print--dead? Consider that myth officially busted!
Print–dead? Consider that myth officially busted!

There’s a common belief that today there’s a competition going on between print and digital media. However, it doesn’t have to be one or the other. In fact, it turns out that each drives the other, and research consistently shows that there is not only room for print media in this so-called digital age; there’s a need for it! So take all those rumors and myths and get ready to see them get BUSTED…

6 myths about print–BUSTED!

Myth #1: No one reads magazines anymore.

Truth: 4 /5 adults read magazines– about 187 million people…and that’s just in the U.S.!

Myth #2: Young people are only willing to receive information digitally.

Truth: 96% of adults under the age of 25 read magazines. Those under 35 in fact read more printed issues than those above 35 years old. In fact, it turns out that those shoppers aged 15-32 are the most heavily influenced by print.

Myth #3: Print is destroying the environment.

Truth:  SURPRISE! Print is actually good for the environment! Paper is a renewable resource. Although at first thought, it might seem counter intuitive, it’s trtue that toxic e-waste poses a real threat to the environment. Read more surprising truths about printing and the environment here.

Myth #4: People spend all their time online, not reading printed materials.

Truth: The average reader spends an impressive 43 minutes reading one printed magazine issue. And readers continually report that they are far less likely to use other media simultaneously or take part in non-media activities while reading as compared to when they are engaging in other forms of media–TV, internet, or radio.

Myth #5: Print has become less popular because of social media.

Truth: Since Facebook was founded, magazines have actually gained more than a million readers.  Almost 70% of readers have posted a magazine article on Facebook, and more than 6 in 10 readers have shared magazine content while chatting with friends on Facebook. —Meanwhile, on Twitter, almost 3/4 of users have followed a magazine’s Twitter account, and  3/4 Pinterest users have followed a print publication or re-pinned content from print media.

Myth #6: Print advertising doesn’t work as well as it did in the past.
Truth: Print ads do work. True, they’ve changed and adapted, but the research shows that print ads outperform other media in driving positive purchasing intent and are key drivers of the media ecosystem. In fact, print advertising does an amazing job of driving online sales. A recent survey of the largest 100 U.S. magazines found a 439% increase in QR and other action codes. Print ads are ranked #1 when it comes to influencing customers to start an online search.

History repeats itself. In the 1930s, when radio became common in most households, experts believed that newspapers would go out of business. A couple of decades later, when television became popular, it was believed that it would replace both print and radio media. That was wrong.

Print isn’t dead. Since the inception of digital media, much has been said about print becoming obsolete. The fact is, these rumors and myths are simply not true. Print media is alive and well.

Like this Article? Subscribe to Our Feed!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.