Sensual and stimulating
Print, TV and online were all compared as methods for information delivery. On an emotional level, print was perceived as sensual and stimulating due to its aesthetics – its design, layout and imagery. Another strength of print was its non-intrusiveness. While people can find TV commercials annoying, rarely do they have the same reaction to printed advertisements. Print gives users time and the choice of when they consume content. TV was thought to be more invasive because of the flashing ads among less obtrusive entertainment. The same was true of online advertising with its use of invasive pop-ups and flash animation.

Print was seen as promoting sales, especially in the daily newspaper sector. Meanwhile, TV also makes contact quickly and gives 21% of consumers ideas for purchases, and has an especially important role to play in promoting new products because it can reach many people in a short time. However, print was lauded for its ability to amplify advertising messages, and is, according to the study, particularly good for long-term branding purposes. Print, the study suggested, brings brands closer to people.

Dependable source
Of all the media examined under ‘image’, print was appreciated for being controllable, reliable and direct while online was perceived as visually unattractive. The final catagory, ‘seriousness’,  covered the dependability and quality of information.

Print advertising came out on top with more than 60% of those surveyed attributing the greatest credibility to printed information. TV, with a rating of 57%, was close behind but the internet lagged further with a 33% rating. Online clearly still has some way to go to gain credibility and trust as an information source.

PRINT VERSUS TV AND THE INTERNET