 People want to badmouth newspapers. They say that it’s old-fashioned. They are right, and that’s why people like it. Newspapers are kind of like the Rocky Balboa of the advertising world. No one expects them to win.
The underdog concept is not new. Even the cliches we used to describe the concept are so old that millennials have never even seen the movies that reference it.Â
But being old-fashioned doesn’t mean that you don’t have some tricks left up your sleeve. Display advertising in newspapers can definitely have advantages that you may not be aware of.
A well-done print ad can literally stop you in your tracks and make you look twice. This is something that many digital campaigns are unable to do in the same way. Digital advertising is thrown at us from every direction. We are training ourselves to look away! Print advertising has an authenticity that all generations can appreciate.
Digital Advertising or Mild Manipulation… just sayin
Reaching out and touch an ad can have a very profound effect on an audience. Studies show that despite the prevalence of all things mobile, people of all ages, especially the young, are still showing a strong preference for the printed versions for news as well as books!
What people do not know is that jumping on the digital bandwagon was more about creating additional advertising revenue and less about the preference for all things mobile.</p>
Display advertising is still one of the few mediums that has the ability to compel a person to reach out and physically touch and grab hold of an ad. “Creative that encourages people to touch a print ad produces even stronger brand impressions.
Touching print ads increases people’s belief that the brand is honest and sincere by 41%, quality perceptions by 20% and purchase intent by 24%…( and)  it creates tangibility for messages while at the same time being a catalyst for emotional connections…(newsworks.org) <p>
This is great news considering that ad blockers in both digital and mobile forums are becoming increasingly popular. Making it increasingly easy to ignore ads online, and the cost of print advertising is affordable and far-reaching. Additional studies have also concluded that print ads have shown to increase purchasing behavior over other types of ads and were 7% higher than online and 3% higher that TV. .
Creating an great display ad that draws you in is all about incorporating tactile elements. Creating a visually compelling ad requires many different elements. Things like weight, shape, and, texture, aswell as use of color.Â
With as old fashion as print can be, it still allows for the use for a lot of variables. So that you can create a visually compelling ad. Adding tactile elements to an ad can range from super simple to extremely complex.  Textures can be overlaid on  an image using Photoshop and conforming it to the shape that the tactile element sits on. Other techniques that can be used are UV printing to create a shiny or metallic finish.  Embossing  can be used to give the impression of raised paper or die-cuts to create specific shapes.
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