Nearly three quarters of marketers
use print to get audiences interested in additional digital content, but
many are failing to use the most sophisticated tools to do this,
according to a recent study by marketing production specialist,
Charterhouse.
Despite
the existence of handy QR codes, which can be used in printed marketing
material to direct audiences to online content, most marketers are
still printing standard web URLs instead forcing consumers to memorise
the web address or enter it manually into their device, or miss out on
the digital content.
The study by Charterhouse reveals that the most common objective,
stated by 61% of marketers, is to use print to increase traffic to a
brand’s website with no respondents reporting that they use print to
drive people towards mobile content, and just 2% using it to attract
audiences to social media-based content.
While 59% of marketers say at least one in two of their campaigns
integrate print and digital, a URL is most commonly employed (used by
83% of marketers). More advanced tools such as QR codes (26%) and
augmented reality (5%) are used far less frequently. This appears to be
due to a lack of confidence in the value of such tools, with 32% of
marketers admitting that they are not sure about the potential of QR
codes in enhancing their marketing campaigns; more than half (51%)
saying the same about augmented reality; 34% about linking to mobile
sites; and 32% about linking directly to social media properties from
printed material.
Despite these figures, almost half (46%) still believe that print is vital to driving interest in digital content and campaigns.
“Marketers are clearly thinking about how these technologies can
enhance their activities. But they shouldn’t be thought of as the
end-result – they are a means to an end,” says Ivan Skoric, head of
digital services at Charterhouse. “Simply sticking a QR code or digital
watermark on print marketing to drive interest to your homepage is not
going to achieve results. The objective of linking print and digital
should be to engage audiences with sticky online content as part of a
broader experience.”
On a positive note, the study also revealed that marketers are
planning to experiment more with integrating print and digital in 2012.
More than half (51%) are planning to use QR codes over the next year,
and nearly two thirds (59%) plan to link to social media content rather
than their own websites. A minority (7%) even indicated that they plan
to integrate print and augmented reality in their 2012 marketing
campaigns.
http://www.fourthsource.com/news/marketers-to-better-integrate-print-and-digital-marketing-in-2012-6053
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