Q12 - in an online world, has print lost its power?

The Internet's most interactive website doesn't allow you to feel the texture of its pages. You can't fold your computer screen into an origami swan. And you sure can't smell your favorite URL. But with print all this and more can be part of the experience.

To be honest, I never bought into the power of print until I started looking around at some things that have had a lasting affect on me. There's the hand-drawn soda bottle label from Vermont, the flip book my son made for me when he was about 7, too many concert tickets to count and, of course, every box Apple has ever made.

It's been estimated that the average U.S. adult is exposed to over 5,000 marketing messages every day. Most of those messages float right by us producing no conscious result at all. But really great print work sticks with you. You actually keep it. Wow, that's impact. That's establishing an emotional connection with your audience. That's an experience.

Here's a great example of the value of print. If you've ever watched the Antiques Road Show on PBS, you've probably seen that items that come in their original packaging usually fetch twice the price. I don't know why, but maybe it has something to do with the fact that print touches many of our senses at once.

So the next time you're thinking of creating a print piece, think outside the... I'm not going say it. Think pop-up, think elegant Apple-like design, think scratch and sniff. Make the most of the medium, and maybe your audience will save your boxes too.
If they do, you've probably earned a long-term customer.

Print is powerful when it enhances the consumer experience. A cereal box, a wedding invitation, a poster, a greeting card - tell us about the most impactful print piece you've ever seen.

Can you imagine what the iPod box might look like if Microsoft designed it?
Check it out