Do you remember the tale of the tortoise and the hare.  And how everybody wrote the tortoise off.  The tortoise was seen as having no hope of being number one.

But the tortoise ended up a winner.

Sometimes it feel like print has been written off as well
And you’d think that one place where you would feel this would be MediaPro.  I presented at MediaPro recently.  This is one of the shows where all the latest marketing strategies are revealed.  The sort of show where print is left forgotten in a dark, dusty corner.

I had a good opportunity to look round the exhibition.  And I saw that print was well represented at the show. But what struck me most was that there were two types of exhibitor.

Some exhibitors offered a single channel to consumers
Their solution was often well presented.  And these exhibitors were usually able to show great depth of knowledge in their field.  Their services were often attractive.  But there was a drawback.  

To use their services you needed to connect with other channels that you might be using.  So you would need separate suppliers for print, e-mail, websites, sms and social media.

It wasn’t just (some) printers who were offering a single channel
A large proportion of exhibitors were hoping that a single channel would prove sufficient to attract new prospects.  Many of the new boys on the block were taking a similar disconnected view.  They were hoping that their solution would be bought on its own.  You could find examples of social media, sms and e-mail who were all offering just a single channel solution.

But there were plenty of suppliers who offered all the channels under one roof
You create one campaign and have it sent out in many different ways.  All the management of responses could be taken care of seamlessly.  All the measurement and reporting was managed in one place.  They were true multi-channel providers.

And some of the most prominent multi-channel providers had names that one associates with print.  Names that a few years ago were dedicated to churning out direct mail.  And now they were busy suggesting that their customers used all the other channels too.

So why are printers so prominent in the multi-channel world?
As print volumes decline, printers have to think about their long-term future.  And many are realising that being a commodity print manufacturer is not appealing.  So they have developed their offering.

And, for many companies, having an integrated offering is very compelling. It’s much more appealing than trying knit all the separate parts together.

So why aren’t other companies offering print?
Many companies that concentrate on other channels haven’t seen the same threats as print companies.  They haven’t seen declining volumes.  And they haven’t (yet) seen other channels looking sexier and cheaper.

So it’s easy for them to ignore print.  Either they are scared off by it.  Or they have decided that print is irrelevant.

Ignoring print is a big mistake
There are plenty of studies that show that large numbers consumers still prefer print over e-communication.  Even google, giants of the internet, are launching a print magazine.  But the e-mail, sms and social media providers have chosen to ignore this fact.

So it’s left to printers to offer a truly multi-channel solution.  One that also takes print into account.  Companies are waking up to realise that print is still a channel with which they need to be engaged.  And they are left with a single choice.  They will have to go with one of the printers that have evolved their business.

It seems that print should not have been written off after all.  It seems that, just like the tortoise, print companies could end up winners.

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