Johannesburg, 03 Mar 2020
The way that things are sold is changing. Whether it’s a lounge suite or state-of-the- art technology, today’s consumers aren’t buying an item, they’re buying a possibility. Jodi Reuven, Marketing Manager for HP Indigo in Central Europe Middle East and Africa, says that in the wide format (large format) digital printing sector, there’s a move from being print service providers to becoming marketing service providers. She explains: “It’s difficult for our end-customers to even imagine the possibilities of print. If you’re asked what could improve your life, the response is often an improved version of what you already have.”
The well-known example is when Henry Ford asked people what they wanted, and they said: “A faster horse.” They couldn’t even conceptualise a motorised form of transport. Sometimes people don’t know what they want because they don’t know what’s possible.
Reuven says: “Print service providers have to think outside the box when demonstrating the possibilities of what digital print can do for marketing services providers. The world is changing and the Internet provides limitless possibilities. As much as this presents opportunities, it also makes marketing more challenging as we shift to an era that’s dominated by digital media. We’re so saturated by digital content on a daily basis that it’s hard to make your message heard. But digital content can also be intrusive, popping up on Gmail and in social media, which can lead to a lack of trust in the brand.”
What is the first thing that a brand wants to achieve with marketing?
“Awareness, to be heard and to break through the clutter,” says Reuven, “which can prove challenging. The average person has 200 daily interactions online. How do you break through that? If you manage that, then the next step is to establish some sort of brand preference. Doing this digitally is particularly difficult as people use ad blockers.”
The next step is to achieve purchase intent, whereby people invest in your brand. Here, you need to prove that the product is relevant to the consumer and that they should buy it. Online adverts have a relatively low efficiency in driving purchasing intent among millennials compared to other forms of marketing.
All of which makes marketing hard. Brands no longer get to dictate the terms of engagement. Instead, millennials do. And millennials are very much the ‘me’ generation. They want to collaborate with brands. Today, end-users have more control and say over the way that brands function. A brand is no longer what it says it is; it is what consumers are telling other consumers the brand is. Millennials are looking for a brand they can find some sort of connection with. All of this requires a shift from an awareness model to an engagement model.
Reaching millennials requires a 360-degree campaign that includes an influencer campaign, with endorsers across all social media, as well as a print campaign. For print and digital to work together, production has to be more agile than ever before as millennials expect brands to connect with their values and comment on whatever is relevant to them, whether it be the latest political zeitgeist or celebrity gossip. This means you can’t have a campaign with a 12-month lead time, says Reuven.
Differences between ‘old’ and ‘new’ consumers
- Decisions based on price vs value
- Waiting for solutions vs creating their own solutions
- What’s in it for me vs what social cause is the brand supporting
- Seeking possessions vs experiences
- Reads marketing message vs reads ingredients
All of which requires a shift in how marketing is delivered to the end-user. Which is where digital printing comes into play. Reuven says: “It’s possible to meet all the millennial requirements for agility; it just requires more modern technology. The shift towards digital print requires a shift in mindset.”
She highlights an interesting trend, one that represents a complete about-face: “Years ago, we only consumed media in paper form. Today, we consume it in digital form. But we’re so inundated with online media that it’s making print much more powerful than ever before.”
Supporting this claim, a study by the Centre for Experimental Consumer Psychology at Bangor University in Wales http://printinthemix.com/Research/Show/92 proved that content delivered in paper form is more stimulating than content delivered in virtual or digital format.
Below are four ways in which digital print can help marketers reach their millennial target audience in convincing ways that will speak to their unique drivers.
1. A differentiator is key
Digital print enables a really fast time to market, allowing marketers to seize the moment and respond immediately to something that’s happening in the news. The ability to respond quickly to current events and in real time is gold for a marketeer.
2. Customised and versioned
Delivers the one-to-one engagement that millennials are looking for as digital print enables mass customisation, with minimal impact on the supply chain. This allows the marketer to create user-generated content based on customers’ own contributions. Each item is unique. A limited time roll-out of personalised packaging has the ability to create unique connections with consumers. “Data-driven print generates on average three times the impact of static print,” explains Reuven.
3. Limited editions
Allow brands to offer limited editions tagged on to a specific event or holiday or something relevant. This enables the brand to differentiate itself with short runs. Limited-edition packaging is great for shelf promotions as it allows brands to participate in special promotions. This provides a bargaining tool with retailers for shelf position and general position in the store.
4. Social responsibility
Packaging can be used to re-home stray animals or help find missing people. It can also be used to promote socially responsible messaging such as “don’t drink and drive” or “smoking is bad for your health”.
Wendy McLoughlin, Business Development Executive, Kemtek, concludes: “Digital print enables marketers to do guerilla marketing campaigns and launch a series of branded items based on current events. It allows them to be agile and act quickly so as not to miss an opportunity. Digital enables short runs on the fly. Which, in turn, enables massive return on marketing investment. So, while marketers may argue that digital print costs slightly more than traditional print, the benefits far outweigh any additional financial outlay.”
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