The hot "NEW" Trend in advertising? Print.

There’s a new trend in advertising sweeping the nation. And as the author of this marketing blog I feel compelled to tell you more about it.

This advertising medium is driving web traffic, helping brands separate themselves from competitors and leaving an impact on niche audiences from athletics to antiques. So what is it?

It’s print.

That’s right, trusty print advertising is the “New ‘New Media’” according to the Columbia Journalism Review.

“Print is beautiful,” author Chava Gourarie writes in this piece published on CJR’s website.

She continues:
​
It can’t notify you when a work email arrives, can’t be tweeted mid-sentence, and won’t die without a charger. Even better, it’s finite.

It’s also supposed to be dead. For years, the new media vanguard has preached “digital first” and the death knell has sounded again and again for print, as legendary magazines moved online or ceased publication altogether. Now, 20 years into the digital revolution, print is making something of a comeback.

In fact, 2015 saw the launch of 204 new print magazines according to Samir Husni, a University of Mississippi professor known online as “Mr. Magazine.”
As a media company that prides itself on creating a quality print product, this article underscores a trend we have seen at Athletic Business as well.

Many clients I work with are surprised to learn print advertising is the most popular form of advertising among our customers.

Gourarie has a great theory for why that is. Magazines, especially those with niche audiences (such as B2B magazines), foster tight niche communities that are appealing to subscribers and advertisers.

“People want to be part of a tribe, and magazines with tailored content for an ardent readership reinforce a strong sense of community,” Gourarie writes.

The importance of print advertising is just one of the reasons we recently invested in rebranding our magazine.

A magazine is “like a membership card you receive once a week, or month,” says Husni.

This sentiment is backed up by Athletic Business’ own subscribers, 94 percent of whom are involved in purchasing decisions for their organization.

“I feel like I’m a member of Athletic Business,” Diane Dahlmann, University of Missouri’s Student Recreation Complex Director, said in a focus group at the Athletic Business Show. “Yes, it’s a service and it’s a trade show and it’s a magazine, but most of all it’s a community.”

And as an advertiser, the print magazine gives you a unique opportunity to connect with that community in a setting where the reader is not distracted by the chime of a new email or the next “to do” popping up on their computer.

Of course, integrated marketing remains important. Digital advertising can help you reach tens of thousands of prospects in addition to those who receive the magazine. But the next time you’re looking do something special with your marketing budget, take a hard look at print advertising. Your prospects are doing the same.