Inside the mind of a print buyer: Print 21 magazine article

Understanding how print buyers see the medium is crucial to any attempts to raise the profile of the industry and stem the flow of work moving online. Joan Grace reports on two recent pieces of research that shed light on how printed material is perceived by the people who purchase it.

Two recent research reports examining perceptions of print provide some valuable insights for our industry as we look at what I certainly hope is the “path out of the recession”.

The first piece of work was conducted as a key part of PrintNZ’s project to raise the profile of print. This work was undertaken by Chilli Marketing and involved a number of face-to-face interviews and focus groups with print buyers and end users discussing their views of print as a form of communication and their view of the industry as a whole.

The second piece of research was conducted in the US for The Print Industries Market Information and Research Organisation (PRIMAR).

The survey work for these reports was conducted in the context of the economic recession at a time when the industry across the world is facing the consequences of decreased volumes of print. Much of this decrease is driven by the decisions of advertisers, with the latest US research indicating, for example, that spend on national newspaper advertising is expected to fall by 26.5 per cent compared to a year ago, and magazine advertising by 18.3 per cent.

Print buyers indicate that volume is decreasing as they substitute print with online services for items such as newsletters, produce more personalised printing, take advantage of smaller digital volumes and decrease functional print such as business forms and general pamphlets.

In both NZ and the US, when they do print, they choose their printer on cost, time and quality – the “big 3”.

What buyers are thinking
So when they make these choices what else are they thinking about? Three areas explored in the research provide insights for us and may in turn influence the choices we make when investing in technology, training our staff and marketing our businesses. There are overlaps in the messages across these areas but I feel it is valuable to look at these separately.

The environment: Buyers do not see the environmental credentials of a printer as a point of difference and it is considered only after the “big 3” have been dealt with. Buyers are aware that there have been vast environmental improvements in print processes but have concerns about waste paper. They consider online to be more environmentally-friendly as there is no physical product to be disposed of. The research shows that the views of buyers and consumers on environmental aspects of print vary quite markedly – something for another column!

Comparing digital and offset: Buyers in the main are knowledgeable about the processes printers use. When they describe offset printing they talk about quality, an emotive connection and expense. They also mention craftmanship/skill, inflexibility, respect and businesses lacking customer service.

With digital they talk about cost-effectiveness, the ability to personalise and fast turnaround. Other descriptors include good enough quality, customer service-focused and lack of training/knowledge.

Comparing print and online: Buyers describe print as quality, valued – “it’s a treat” – tangible, permanent and portable. With online, the descriptors are more environmentally-friendly, faster, cost-effective, measurable, versatile, dynamic and up-to-date. An example of this is well illustrated by our State Services Commission which, when looking to reduce costs, advised government departments to advertise jobs online rather than in print. While mentioning cost they also indicated this response would ensure their advertising was “more up-to-date”.

As mentioned, this research is key to PrintNZ’s work to raise the profile of print in NZ. We want to do this as we believe fundamentally there needs to be a strong and vibrant print industry in NZ. Over the coming months, we will be developing key messages and looking at specific actions we can take as an industry, and seeking support from all our members and Associations to support those actions. Our aim is to have activities planned at the level of individual businesses as well as at an industry-wide level.

I would be interested to hear your feedback and suggestions as we move forward with this work.