Why is print marketing right for now!

Marketing post lockdown

The excitement of a freer life is now palpable as we start to hit those significant lifting-of-lockdown dates. We’re thrilled to be inundated with news from our clients about their planned re-opening dates in May, energy around their re-launch marketing campaigns, plus a ton of news from music performers as tickets are released on sale.  It certainly feels like there is no turning back.

But we realise that there are still many questions for businesses which need answering ahead of their doors opening.  How will consumers behave post lockdown?  How do you re-connect with buyers again? What marketing channels are right for now?  Are there unique benefits of print marketing for consumers who’ve binged on digital?  In this paper we touch on some of these important points.

 

Consumer behaviours – what’s next?

There has been extensive coverage of the rise in digital marketing during Covid. As consumers have navigated a new existence from home it’s not surprising their time online has surged as they have increasingly turned to digital sources to stay informed, in touch and entertained. People across the country have been buying more online, streaming more, increasing their time spent on social channels and gaming has hit record levels.  According to UKOM-endorsed data from Comscore, time spent online hit record levels in April ‘20, up 22% year-on-year.

But what will happen to consumer behaviour as lockdown restrictions ease and we start to see hospitality, arts, culture, heritage, leisure and sports venues open their doors once again?   Whilst patterns in ecommerce are undoubtedly here to stay, there is a building sense of hunger for real life activities to resume; be that meeting friends in the pub, taking your children to the theatre, losing yourself in live music, or standing in a stadium with tens of other like-minded fans. Connecting with people and feeling inspired are basic human desires which have been stifled during the pandemic and the coke bottle top is about to come off.

 

How do you re-connect with buyers post the pandemic?

So, the big question for marketers now is how best to re-connect with audiences? What’s the right message? What’s the right timing, right spend and media mix to capture their attention?   Many marketers and organisations are asking these important questions following a year with little revenue and great uncertainty.    But I think it’s worth reminding ourselves of the renowned American marketer, Roland Vaile, who demonstrated in his study that companies who increased their marketing budgets during economic slump grew sales much faster than their rivals; not only during the downturn but also beyond it. Companies that decreased their marketing spend saw their sales decline both during the recession and then for the following three years.

Alastair Thomson – a former finance director & CFO who is now with the FD Centre in the UK recently said

“When nobody else is doing it, your costs of doing so are much lower – and your impact is commensurately greater”

 

What benefits does print marketing deliver?

As those important marketing questions still linger for many as the countdown continues, London + Culture Calling are already seeing a flurry of clients who feel that now is the right time to capitalise on consumer sentiment – to be entertained and spend money.  Whilst we saw a growth in digital marketing running across culturecalling.com as clients reached out to audiences at home – a trend which we feel will continue – print marketing campaigns are now also being booked at pace.

Print marketing has a great deal to offer in our journey out of Covid when our brains are craving real.  Drawing upon neuroscience, case studies and our 30 years of experience, we’ve explored the fact-based evidence that champions print as a major marketing tool which can leave an indelible impression on people.

 

Print delivers better short-term sales, is trusted, and is remembered

*it is a tactile advertising medium where brands can prove their creativity and make a strong statement

*brand recall is 34% higher if marketing messages are read on paper versus online

*print marketing in the second most effective medium for driving short-term sales

*print marketing ranks amongst the most trusted marketing channels

*printed direct mail has a long shelf-life, kept in the house for up to 17 days and passed from family members

*we show deeper interest in marketing messages when we read them on paper

 

Print Marketing formats rank amongst most trusted marketing channels

MarketingShepa:2016

Print Marketing delivers significant Brand Recall

Canada Mail: A BIAS FOR ACTION: The neuroscience behind the response-driving power of direct mail. 

Our assurance to you

Whilst print marketing took a backstage during the pandemic as venues were closed, April and May will see the re-opening of London + Culture Calling’s network of venues across the UK. Our drivers are already back delivering for clients and we are confident that visitors will return just as quickly following a year of enforced confinement.

 

To support your plans, we would like to offer you the following print campaign assurances:

 

• Money back guarantee if you have to cancel your booking due to a new lockdown[1]
• Option to book print on a cost per thousand[2] based on how many pieces of print you have, working to your budget
• Spreading payment of your campaign to help with budgeting
• Agility.  We can deliver a print campaign in a few days should you have a last-minute campaign.  We’ll also keep your print topped up to meet demand levels
• Our own LC + CC listings guide gives you the opportunity to drive awareness for your event without the cost of designing and printing your own piece of print

 

Further, we can target audiences through door-to-door, on-the-street handouts, eco-event packs and what’s on website culturecalling.com