Trending Now: Vogue’s September Issue and the Return of Print Ads

September means fall and back-to-school for most but, for those fashion-obsessed fans out there, September also means the arrival of the (arguably) most iconic print publication ever to hit the press: VOGUE. Rumblings about this year’s Semptember issue selling out had a few of us at d.trio scrambling to the store to grab our editions. But, it also got us thinking, why do we still “j’ADORE” print?

1. “Digital Detox” people increasingly want to unplug. We spend all day staring at computers, iPhones and other mobile devices. Reading a print piece versus something on the screen of a tablet is a welcome reprieve.
2. Prestige: Consumersperceive there’s something more permanent and credible about a print piece compared to their digital counterparts. Ironically, the low-cost efficiency that makes digital so appealing to publishers, can also make it appear fleeting.
3. Greater ROI for advertisers: GFK, a reputable polling and research company who specializes in measuring return on investment, released results in 2014 suggesting that Print Advertising is where advertisers might get the most bang for their buck. The study reports the performance of 5 media channels: news, print magazines, radio, TV and online banner ads. And the findings suggest that print has the highest ROI at 120%*… It shocked us too.

Of course from a bottom line perspective, digital issues are still preferred by the publisher. Digital gives magazines the ability to change course quickly, respond quickly, and digital issues are clearly more cost effective. So why, after years of the digital boom, is Vogue selling more issues than ever? Simple. Consumers and advertisers prefer it.
#longliveprint

* http://www.inma.org/blogs/research/post.cfm/cross-media-study-shows-print-advertising-has-highest-roi