In this article, Roger
Dooley explains how the brain reacts positively to print.
Roger Dooley is a marketing speaker and author of the
blog Neuromarketing as well as the upcoming book Brainfluence (Wiley, November
2011). He is the founder of Dooley Direct, a neuromarketing and digital
marketing consultancy, and co-founded College Confidential, the leading
college-bound website. He spent years in direct marketing as the cofounder of a
successful catalog firm. He can be contacted at
www.neurosciencemarketing.com/blog.
Editor’s
Note: To avoid confusion with Copresco’s digital printing services, we
have substituted the word “electronic” for Roger’s use of the
term “digital.”
Direct
mail is so last millennium, right? Ultra-efficient electronic marketing seems
all but certain to supplant actual paper marketing delivered by
humans.
It might be a little too soon to shut down the
paper mills, though, according to a study by branding agency Millward Brown.
The
research project used fMRI brain scans to show that our brains process
paperbased and electronic marketing in different ways, and in particular that
paper ads caused more emotional processing.
According to
the study, physical media left a “deeper footprint” in the brain.
Material shown on cards generated more activity within the area of the brain
associated with the integration of visual and spatial information (the left and
right parietal).
This suggests that physical material is more “real” to the brain and has a meaning, and a place. It is better connected to memory because it engages with its spatial memory networks. [From Millward Brown Case Study – Using Neuroscience to Understand the Role of Direct Mail.]
Before we
get carried away and crank up the printing presses, a few limitations of the
findings should be noted. The biggest is that a head-to-head comparison of
similar electronic and print ads may not represent most real-world marketing
situations. Electronic ads can do things that print ads can’t match.
Electronic ads can build in video, audio, and
interactivity. Furthermore, electronic ads can be targeted far more
effectively, based on user interests (search and content), past behavior, and
other characteristics that print can’t match.
As a longtime direct marketing guy, I’m happy to see that high-tech brain scans show that paper still has some advantages that bits can’t match. The Millward Brown study didn’t get into how to optimize a print piece, but here are a few quick ideas.
Think
about the tactile nature of the piece. Heavier stock and a textured finish
could emphasize the “tangibility” of the mailed item.
Take advantage of the brain’s emotional engagement
with tangible media and craft a message that has an emotional impact.
Build in your brand imagery, since brand recall may be
enhanced by the paper medium.
Carolyn Plette, Dwight
Polglaze and Kevin Cullen responded to Roger’s article with these
comments.
This
weekend I sorted through my books and gave some to the library. As I was
leaving the library, I realized I have been trained that books are precious and
that is why I went all the way across town to donate them.
I would never throw a book out unless it just contained
really ugly material that I wouldn’t want to “pass on...”
I embrace technology—almost completely—but I’m the type who loves the feel and smell of books—especially old ones. I actually read cover to cover, looking for the publisher, copyright and printing dates and what type face it was set in if I don’t recognize it.
I own a
MacBook Pro, an iPad and iPhone and spend a large percentage of my life in
cyberspace (business, personal, etc.). I use Outlook to book meetings and
communicate even with my family. I read books electronically now.
I am a fan of paperless and “saving trees” but
don’t see the use of elimination of the PRINTED word anytime in the near
future.
I see
great value in print on paper and I think I always will. I use a Moleskine to
record my thoughts and actions every day and then move the ideas into an
actionable structure. I still love to receive cards and letters.
For my money—I react better to what’s on
paper—it seems more credible and legitimate to me.
Consider
all the benefits of the printed word. Then, call the recognized leader in
digital on-demand printing.
Call Copresco.
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