Is Print dead? Stories from the afterlife.

APALA kicked off its new season of programs with rave reviews by all whom attended. New president, Neil Prehmus, started the evening with a special presentation of appreciation to outgoing president, Lynne Gullo. Thank you, Lynne, for all your efforts and support towards APALA this past year!

A record number of members (over 200!) showed up at the Le Meridien to hear advertising “heavy hitter,” Dan Burrier, Chief Creative Officer of Ogilvy & Mather Los Angeles, address the topic that resonates in the back of everyone’s mind today… Is print dead? He responded with a resounding, NO! Despite the bombardment of broadcast advertising and online activity, it was reassuring to know advertising executives such as Dan strongly feel “print is very much alive!”

If print is dead, then it’s been reincarnated thousands of times. In a very informative and captivating presentation, complete with thought-provoking ad campaigns and engaging video clips, Dan walked us through his stories of the “afterlife.”

An overview of the print world
For an overview of the print advertising landscape, Dan shared the following statistics. The bad news about magazines: reduction in ad dollars, too many titles exist, and postal rates continually increase. On the good news front: readership is up and nearly 100 pubs have a circulation of over 1 million, with major success stories (up 30+%) for pubs that target the right segment with the right editorial.

Similarly, newspaper circulation has decreased overall, yet 55% of all adults still read the daily paper. Advertisers are increasing their use of newspaper and inserts due to its ability to target by zip or distribution zone.

Outdoor fares a little better despite its limited availability due to lack of locations and consolidation of outdoor companies. They improved their structures, offer better lighting, and provide quality reproduction since the technology of vinyl faces. Out of home spending has increased five-fold since 1980.

Why print is better than TV
Using actual campaigns from clients such as IBM, Motorola, Perrier and Cotton to demonstrate the immense power of print, Dan explained how print can do things that TV alone cannot:

Print creates lust in categories of one. Print can get people turned on about things and pull away from the competition by redefining the brand.

Print can reshape the dialogue. This was achieved by writing to the imagery and not the other way around. Tell a story between you — the brand — and the customer.

Print is a premise setter… aka “The manifesto.” It’s his favorite tool to lay out big arguments…when you have something big to say and you want people to spend the time with it. (His example was a 32-page insert in The Wall Street Journal for IBM!)

Print simplifies big arguments. Not everyone will read the “big argument,” so print can also state the big argument with simplicity.

Print can find the right people in the right places. TV is mostly a mass media buy. Print is targeted and can find people when they are most vulnerable.

A picture is worth a thousand words. A visual can be better than the written word to portray the brand’s attributes.

Print creates movements. It’s a lot easier to sell things to people when it’s inevitable… when there’s something going on and they have to be a part of it.

Print spawns TV. Print has the power to shape entire arguments and drive TV, and not always the other way around.

Print is hands-on. Creatively, you get to love it because you do it yourself, unlike TV, which is produced by an army of producers, directors, etc. You can painstakingly apply type, the logo and other elements of design.

Print can make you famous (or not). An Apple print campaign that launched during (and even before) the Windows 95 introduction was produced at a fraction of Windows’ budget yet generated millions of dollars in publicity.

TV is painful. You cede control to an army of TV producers. You have to learn a new language of “prima donna” to get anything done.

We shouldn’t be intimidated by the plethora of non-print activity. Dan challenged us, “Will we have to redefine print or will we redefine ourselves?” He responded that we should acknowledge the emergence of e-print and the evolution of online and direct mail. More importantly, we should undertake a paradigm shift and determine how and where our skills play in the evolution and how provincial we should be. Real print is not going anywhere. Print is here to stay!

Dan’s ten rules for print
Print plays a unique role in advertising strategies, as outlined in Dan’s Ten Rules for Print:

1.Sell ideas, not ads.
2.If you can get away with it, sell print concepts with line drawings or marker comps (a too-refined comp sells the finished layout, not the concept).
3.If you can’t, use the “not for sale” trick… sell the idea and then bring the idea to life.
4.Never tell a photographer what to shoot. Use a photo brief and write ads to the finished imagery.
5.Never cede control to your Mac. It’s not a replacement for skill.
6.Never say “no” to a typographer. Find someone who knows and loves type.
7.Make friends with your proofreader.
8.Make friends with your production manager. They’re the ones who actually make things happen. If you don’t take care of them, they won’t take care of you!
9.Never believe in your ability to “conceive” anything. You don’t make it up…you discover it. Surprise yourself.
10.Obsess over the details. Someday you won’t have the time. This is a luxury we should all take advantage of.

Many thanks to our special guest speaker, Dan Burrier, for taking the time from his busy schedule to give us a glimpse inside the mind of a creative genius. As producers, we may rarely see or understand the creative process that transpired to conceive the final product that’s on the disk we’re about to print.

Also, thank you to APALA program committee member, Joseph Zidarevich of Creo, for putting together tonight’s outstanding and inspiring program. This is just the start of an exciting season of APALA programs for this coming year. Don’t miss out on a single one!