Buzzfeed’s latest stunt proves print is alive and well
Buzzfeed just launched a magazine... for one day. But Ovato's Adrian O’Connor believes the marketing stunt tells us something deeper about the future of print.
Last week, digital behemoth Buzzfeed printed and distributed a newspaper. In a tongue-in-cheek statement, the company said: “BuzzFeed, a company that was born on the internet and social media, is testing a new technology called print and unveiling a one-time, special edition BuzzFeed Newspaper, showcasing the latest news stories and favourite BuzzFeed content in an easy to consume mobile format.”
“We printed out the internet.” @BuzzFeedBen reports live from Union Square where he’s handing out copies of BuzzFeed’s first newspaper pic.twitter.com/Q8W9R7o9vX
— AM2DM by BuzzFeed News (@AM2DM) March 6, 2019
About 20,000 copies of the one-off paper were distributed in New York to commuters and passers-by at Union Square, Penn Station and Herald Square.
For a publication known for its social media footprint and reliance on online video, GIFs and “bite-sized” digital content like quizzes, it was an unexpected move to say the least.
Confident @BuzzFeed is the first outlet to print a gif in a newspaper, we are rocket scientists pic.twitter.com/CqW5CYydMc
— Tom Namako (@TomNamako) March 6, 2019
So, what does it say about today’s media landscape?
A tangible marketing impact
The stunt is proof that, despite a lot of hand-wringing about the decline of print, it remains a viable and effective medium. While many believed physical books were done and dusted after the Kindle launched in 2007, the stats tell a different story.
Since 2013, publisher-reported revenue in the US has increased by $820 million, while ebook sales slipped by 3.9 percent in 2018. In the UK, the print book market grew by 2.1 percent. And in Australia, unit sales of print books were up 2.5 percent in January to September 2018.
Consumers trust printed news more than its online counterpart, and they’re increasingly turning to printed books and magazines as a way to “switch off” and reduce “digital overload”.
Buzzfeed recognised that print, more than any other medium, feeds real-world buzz and a tangible opportunity for audience engagement. The paper’s motto was: “Social. Mobile. Recyclable.” After all, newspapers were the original mobile content – to be read at a local café over a coffee, on the train to work or during the interminable hours in a waiting room. A newspaper is personal. It’s part of a reader’s daily routine.
Unlike digital platforms like social media and email, the content in a printed newspaper isn’t competing with a feed full of other brands and publishers. It’s a standalone item that commands attention. This obviously isn’t to say that Buzzfeed should pivot to print entirely, but that print can play its own, separate role.
As Brandon Ortiz from Salesforce says: “The ubiquity of digital media has given print media a strange new power. Think of how special it is to get a written letter as opposed to an email.” Print is a chance to stand out. It provides a rare moment with your audience free of digital distraction.
Print and digital are more powerful together
The argument about whether digital or print reigns supreme is ultimately a false dichotomy. For marketers, the combination of both can be the most effective strategy. Buzzfeed knew that New Yorkers were likely to snap a picture of the newspaper and post to social media, extending its reach to a global audience. People that enjoyed the paper would have jumped straight onto Buzzfeed’s online channels, even if they hadn’t previously engaged with the site. Branching out into different mediums allows you to connect with a whole new audience and introduce them to your content.
Using print to supplement a digital strategy also lets you cut content in a range of different ways for different audiences: as with any channel, it’s about making sure the content fits the medium. In this case, Anne Helen Petersen’s viral article on millennial burnout, originally a long-read of over 7,000 words, wouldn’t be feasible in a printed newspaper with limited word count.
It was a fascinating process to have my burnout piece edited (WAY, WAY) down for BuzzFeed’s print edition: pic.twitter.com/1zEsJhWyFo
— Anne Helen Petersen (@annehelen) March 6, 2019
The constraints of print actually allow the freedom to turn it into a shorter print version for readers on the move. The Buzzfeed team also shared behind-the-scenes content on Twitter about the making of the paper and drew attention to the artwork that had gone into it – details that wouldn’t have been possible on digital channels.
For those interested, here’s an incomplete gif of the cover process (see if you can spot where we momentarily freaked out about putting momo on the cover): pic.twitter.com/2AEmmleJYK
— Ben King (@brknyc) March 6, 2019
There are plenty of brands already recognising the value of integrated print and digital campaigns. A few years ago, IKEA showcased its catalogue with a satirical online campaign inviting customers to “experience the power of a bookbook”, with 18 million video views to date.
Dance music label Kontor Records sent out a vinyl record with a paper turntable to executives they knew would otherwise ignore the sample. Recipients could scan a QR code and play the record on their smartphone. The campaign was a huge success: 71 percent of 900 QR codes were activated and 42 percent visited the online store.
But integrated campaigns don’t have to be complex to be effective. It could be as simple as including your social media handles and relevant websites on printed materials, from invites to event stands. Or if you distribute a catalogue, using social media targeting to show recipients the most popular products in their area or current promotions at their local store. It’s about understanding all the different channels your customers engage with – and how to reach them to create new connections and provoke different reactions.
The new era of print
It turns out print is alive and well. If anything, it’s going to be more of a focus in 2019, as brands discover new tools and technologies that mean they can apply the same tactics and measurement from digital channels to print. Smart marketers will be jumping at the chance to reach audiences in all the different places and moments they consume media – as long as it’s relevant and unique.
Adrian O’Connor is CEO, print and residential distribution at Ovato.
It’s a PR stunt that highlights how quaint the notion of a print newspaper has become… not exactly what I’d choose as a basis for an argument on the validity of print.
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Exactly. The reporting of the print edition online is equivalent to them delivering content by Morse Code for a laugh. Print is still a good way to reach old people though.
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I guess ‘print is valuable because it lets companies make fun of print’ is an interesting take…
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They should of done this on 1 April
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People 55+ still enjoy sitting down with a cup of coffee and reading the paper so print is alive and well with this target market and those trying to reach them. Don’t underestimate this lucrative bunch with million dollar property portfolios and no mortgage. A very enjoyable experience that millennial’s don’t know anything about. If 55+ is old people I’m glad to be one of them.
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Why do people insist it is only 55+. Is this some magic age or something?
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You’re right, of course Linda. But a medium that’s population is aging out of it year on year with no new uptake from younger generations is by definition a medium in trouble.
The argument for print as an effective channel diminishes with each and every year that passes.
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So true – lets enjoy it while it lasts!
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only moments before reading this article I had been mildly surprised by the number of people (mostly young people, shock horror) reading books and other printed material on the London tube this morning
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Let me know when you can take out a full-page in a novel. Random House keep ignoring my emails.
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Agree Lisa….I refuse to patronise any coffee shop/cafe that does not provide daily newspapers for its customers.
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