Sometimes, print is not very good at self-promotion. It’s getting better, but the full potential of the medium still remains a mystery to many marketers and even, more worryingly, to some of the print buyers. This, coupled with the fact that, for the most part, the unflattering myths circulating about print are not being rebutted with the fact-based swiftness required, means that print is failing to assert itself in a field in which it’s flexibility, creativeness and proven track record should make it the natural and first choice.

This could be why, compared to last year, the 2010 survey of 450 print buyers and marketers found that the majority of respondents has shifted from the £1m-£3m bracket to the less than £250,000 bracket. While this looks bad, the recession will have impacted all areas of marketing spend, not just print, as shown in the fact that print still makes up the highest proportion of budgets, with an average of 53%.

Something else to bear in mind is the fact that a massive 72% of respondents said print did not do enough to promote itself as an effective medium. This is interesting when you consider that an encouraging 62% of respondents believed print to be more effective than email, while, per pound spent, 46% said print was the most effective medium of all. Clearly, marketers and print buyers recognise print’s effectiveness, but they need the firepower of case studies and stats to take to the finance director that will authorise the marketing budgets. It’s not the marketer’s job to prove how good print is.

The dip in spend may not just be about effectiveness, however, as blue-chip companies are increasingly demanding the most environmental marketing option and print suffers from a number of misconceptions. Almost 70% of respondents believed electronic communications were greener than print, while respondents believed that 95% of consumers would think the same. Thankfully, there is the hint that respondents realise that print is not the ecological black sheep it is often painted and that it in fact has comparable green credentials to electronic media, as 80% of respondents said print needed to do more to promote its green credentials. Worryingly, 67% said they had not heard of Two Sides, the organisation set up partly to do exactly that.

Two Sides director Martyn Eustace responds: "We are being effective and slowly changing attitudes, but it will take a long time. Printers need to play their part by joining in and spreading the word. I’d love to have 90% of buyers aware of Two Sides, but it isn’t going to happen in a year."

And that is the point: printers need to help themselves. They need to speak up for themselves more and help marketers prove to those holding the budget strings that it is the best option out there in the marketing arena. But time is of the essence, as the majority of respondents said print spend would be the area they would decrease spend on in the next five years. Print needs to get its act together – quick.

THE FINDINGS
Click here and here to view the results of the survey