We’ve been observing some of our clients making blanket strategic decisions to “move everything to the web.” While there is ample reason to craft a compelling Web 2.0 presence today, real power most often exists in creating a balance or integration of communication. This blog post is meant to open a conversation.

All organizations are viewed through the filter of design. Consequently, design is the most powerful expression of who an organization is. Everything has been designed and we exercise judgment about these things—often on a subconscious level.

While Web 2.0 provides an avenue for wider broadcast and facilitates feedback on relevant content, print communicates with the reader on more levels. When a company crafts a relevant message in print, there is an inherent credibility and longevity—a time-honored value—that is still lacking in an online relationship. Print is unique and effective in that it engages a number of our senses. Designers, therefore, create a tactile/emotional experience with print. Even when a print project is reproduced in a design annual such as Communication Arts (distinct honor and peer recognition notwithstanding) the “sensibility” of the piece is missing. There is no substitute for holding that piece in your hands. Turning each page. Feeling the weight. Experiencing the size and sound of the object. A printed piece expresses more than just information.

Elizabeth Cooney, of the Globe and Mail, recently wrote, “Our sense of touch primes our impressions and influences our decisions, even when our tactile sensations have nothing to do with the matter at hand, researchers from MIT, Harvard, and Yale conclude in a paper published today in Science.” Physical experiences strongly influence how people view the world because these experiences incorporate both the body and the mind.

Tactile sensory experiences are absent online except for the mouse or trackpad. We are interfacing with a machine. There is also the issue of the audience’s screen environment: personal browser preferences, color calibration, resolution, bandwidth. Online there is a gain of dynamic motion and audio and I do embrace the exponential viral nature of social media to broadcast a message. As Americans, we wholly embrace new technology. Still, there’s a unique appeal to print and there is much longing and desire in our culture for authenticity. We have a yearning to connect with one another in an authentic and personal manner.

Nicholas Carr, in his recent book The Shallows writes, “The Net’s cacophony of stimuli short-circuits both conscious and unconscious thought, preventing our minds from thinking either deeply or creatively.” The Net is a growing force that demonstrates what Carr describes as “the single most mind-altering technology that has ever come into general use.” Interestingly enough, the nature of the online reading experience has been described as an “interruption technology.” Carr states, “The Net seizes our attention only to scatter it.” There’s an irony in the average person’s avoidance of traditional advertising (an interruption model) only to escape to the Net’s myriad distractions. Carr summarizes recent research regarding hypertext reading and comprehension with “The medium used to present the words obscures the meaning of the word.”

Print Misperceptions

What useful role does print play in a digital world? Everything is changing around us and sometimes deceptively so. When it comes to print, many clients feel cost is an issue. It’s true that print is not the lowest cost option on the front end. But what happened to “you get what you pay for”? To create a successful website or online campaign, it might cost more than you imagine. Many clients do not understand how to effectively leverage the Web 2.0 environment. Examples include creating link-building through distributed engagement, creating fresh, relevant content, monitoring social media comments and responding when appropriate. Mistakes can be made or expectations can be miscalculated.

While discussing costs—actual costs—we must include environmental impact. When I was at the bank the other day, I read a poster promoting online statements touting the benefit: “save a tree.” The paper industry has been around for a very long time. They’ve assessed their impact on the environment and have actively responded in many beneficial ways. From raw materials to energy consumption to end-of-life recycle and reuse, paper currently is more sustainable than electronics. Burning coal, fossil fuels, and nuclear energy keep your screen glowing and the servers running. At this time, an analogy is the organic industry. Organic products cost more, yet they do less harm to the environment. For most cost accounting, the environment is an externalized cost. And this is not sustainable or socially responsible.

Design Thinking

We need to consider the environmental benefits of each medium and balance them with the desired efficacy of the communication. Is electronic delivery greener than paper? No. Yet, I believe electronic media has the potential to create a sustainable model in the future. I fully embrace the exciting potential of Web 2.0 and, at the same time, I know when an effective print concept will establish a direct trust and credibility that online alone could not accomplish. The power is in the combination—understanding how to use both effectively and in tandem. Companies must realize that they will be refreshing their web presence as often—or more often—than print. When viewed in the context of design thinking, a great print campaign generates relevant content, quicker response, credibility and trust, and mnemonic retention—in a word: branding. The Web 2.0 counterpart broadcasts that relevant content to infinitely more people with benefits accruing over time. It will initiate a conversation and link-building that can be considered a long-term, durable asset. Forrester Research and FEDMA summarized this by stating “Marketing is entering a new phase that transcends the mere coordination of messages across digital and physical channels. In this era of integrated marketing, advertisers will knit messages and media to involve consumers in a continuous brand experience.” Innovation, through the resolution and integration of print and electronic media into a superior solution, will help businesses stay balanced across all of their branding efforts.

For more on print’s role today:
Is Print Dead? by Jeremy Loyd
Print in the Mix