No less than two recent studies prove this: Print convinces. As an anchor point in the digital world on the one hand and, on the other, with its advertising impact. On account of the sometimes astonishing results, one of the studies is entitled "Print Love Story".
Bauer Advance, the marketer for the German publishing business of the Bauer Media Group, and Mediaplus in co-operation with Facit Research in their study "Print Effects", which was published at the end of November last year, sought answers to the following questions: How do traditional adverts compare with special advertising formats and advertorials? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the individual formats in relation to different communication objectives?
The effectiveness of print advertising is undisputed and has been clearly proven by many surveys, emphasizes
Rolf Gagelmann, Head of Market Research at Bauer Media Group: "Print magazines provide inspiration and information, stand for time out, tranquillity and moments of enjoyment and have a captivating feel. These alone are good reasons to continue advertising in magazines. Moreover, with the Print Effects baseline study, we not only prove that print advertising is effective in an increasingly fragmented media world, but also how the various advertising formats work."
Traditional ads and advertorials engage and activate readers at a similar level, but the two forms of advertising have different strengths: Ads catch the eye more quickly, are more memorable and are perceived as more understandable and appealing. Advertorials, on the other hand, score points with more information content and convey the impression of a trustworthy offer through their editorial design. The study also found that fragrance and product samples push sales and that inserts enjoy a high level of acceptance and generate multiple contacts.
Outside the filter bubble
As part of the second study, which was presented in December 2023, RTL Data, the Competence Center for Research and Data at RTL Germany, was commissioned by
Ad Alliance, the Group's marketing unit (with the media brands RTL, STERN, BRIGITTE, VOX, GEO and others), to look at the role of print in the media world, which "feels (...) more digital every day". The large-scale multi-method genre study - the magazines STERN, GEO, ART, 11FREUNDE, COUCH, GALA and BRIGITTE were explored using a combination of qualitative and quantitative methods - primarily examines the question of why the haptic experience of reading high-quality content printed on paper apparently cannot be completely replaced by the user experience of digital devices.
One reason cited by the study is that many people now feel oversaturated by technology and fear "digital overkill". Almost half (47%) of 14 to 39-year-olds in the quantitative survey agreed with this statement: "Spending too much time on social media apps often makes me feel empty and stressed." At the same time, the "filter bubble" is becoming increasingly present: 49 percent of print readers surveyed said that they feel like they are in a filter bubble when it comes to social media.
This is where the role of magazines comes into play: "They are not a constant and permanent part of everyday life, because using them requires peace, space and time. They therefore tend to represent an escape from everyday life. They are becoming increasingly attractive, especially against the backdrop of ever-increasing media digitization, because their use requires conscious attention." This is exactly what readers appreciate: 85 percent of respondents say that they relax when reading magazines, while 72 percent agree that magazines are a part of their overall quality of life.
Heave a sigh of relief with print
Another result of the study is that picking up a magazine is almost like " heaving a sigh of relief": "Magazines are clear and simple in their function, and that's exactly what people crave. They form a reliable and consistent framework that limits a topic and makes it manageable." According to 76 percent of readers surveyed: "For topics that are very important to me, I find it good if I can get my hands on something about them." Moreover, magazines broaden your perspective, because using them brings you into contact with topics that lie outside your own "filter bubble". Young people between the ages of 14 and 29 (Gen Z) read magazines for one main reason: To consciously abstain from "screen time" on their smartphones.
The user behavior when reading magazines - withdrawing, taking conscious moments "for oneself" - also has a positive influence on the perception of advertising, the experts from RTL Data assure us: "Print advertising is described as unobtrusive. It’s about the freedom to decide for yourself what you watch." More than two thirds of readers (69%) call it self-determination: "In magazines, I rather have the feeling that I can control how much advertising I get to see at any given time." Moreover, 93 percent of all advertising content in magazines was looked at. And on average for just under three seconds.
Incidentally, RTL Data gave the report on the results of the study, including generalizable insights and analyses, the significant title "Print Lovestory".
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Yours,
Knud Wassermann,
Editor-in-Chief "Graphische Revue"