Print: An Indispensable Tool in Multimedia Marketing
In advertising, a “brand” is primarily a visual image that conveys a company’s distinct personality, mission, product or service. In the late 1800s, ranchers would brand their animals with a hot firebrand to make sure their herd could be easily distinguished from those belonging to other ranchers. Similarly, today’s advertisers want to ensure that their brand remains distinctive, recognizable and memorable in the minds of consumers. However, a company’s brand is only as strong as the consumer’s ability to recognize, recall and respond to its advertising. Therefore, the importance of print on brand imaging cannot be overstated. Indeed, print should be a part of every advertiser’s arsenal of communication tools to strategically position, promote and propel their product and image ahead of the competition.
One Picture Can Close the Sale
When consumers shop for a product, they might have the brand image in mind, but the printed package is what compels them to make a purchase. A consumer might walk into the grocery store to buy a carton of Minute Maid orange juice, but what influences his final decision is the Minute Maid brand emblazoned on the outside of the printed package. More than just a four-color process logo, the Minute Maid brand includes a vibrant picture of a big juicy orange and a full glass of delicious juice. Ah, you can almost taste it! The shopper sees the carton and a myriad of images floods his mind. He gets a warm, fuzzy feeling thinking about breakfast with the family, the taste of fresh OJ, the smell of bacon . . . all because of vibrant imaging imprinted on a cardboard carton!
If that same juice was packaged in a generic carton without the Minute Maid logo, it is unlikely that the same consumer would want to buy it. Why? The packaging with a recognizable reputable brand image not only closes the sale, but also reinforces the brand and gives consumers a physical tangible picture of a mental and emotional image which compels them to buy.
Print Reinforces the Electronic Message
Today’s multimedia marketing not only includes television and radio commercials, but also web-based SEO marketing, social media marketing (SMM), direct mail, email, and instant messaging. But electronic or digital imagery cannot exist alone; print still reigns supreme when it comes to reinforcing brand image. Packaging, newspapers, circulars, magazines, point of purchase displays, billboards and even vehicle wraps are all part of the print media which serves to keep the brand image in the public eye and reinforce a targeted message.