We live in a three dimensional world. We like physical things. We like to touch and hold them. But much of marketing is flat- relegated to a screen.
When we watch TV, read our email or browse the web, we do so without the benefit of touch. We see it but we can’t feel it.
Printing, on the other hand, is tactile. Through paper weight, paper finishes, coatings, embossing, die cutting, etc. printed marketing materials come alive. Engaging someone both visually and physically can make marketing more effective and memorable.
Educators have long studied the positive effects of kinesthetic learning and tactile learning. The theory is that we live in a multi dimensional world and by moving around and physically engaging with the world, people learn and retain things better than just “sitting and observing”. For example, it has been shown that learning is much more effective if one sees, hears and writes. The added tactile process of writing stimulates an important sense- touch. The more senses you stimulate, the more you learn.
One of the goals of marketing is getting one’s message across. This is, in essence, a goal to educate. The more senses you can engage, the more likely you will get your marketing message across.
One of the attributes of print is its physical presence. It exists and one can feel it. Print’s physical presence is a unique characteristic in the world of marketing. It doesn’t disappear when you turn the power off. You don’t need an operating system, an app or a plugin to see it. Print is always on. Print is always present. And the bottom line is that it works because it stimulates your senses.
Photo Credit: “Book”, © 2010 Kamil Porembiński, Flickr | CC-BY-SA | via Wylio
