The Story of Print Media: From Newspapers to Your Inbox

If you want to know the history of print media, this blog is for you. To know how it started and the power of this tool in today’s marketing platform, especially in India.

If I talk about marketing today, we think of digital ads, social media, and influencers. What if we take a step back and realize, can we imagine these things without print media? The old print papers, magazines, flyers, and many more — this is where it all began.

Brief History of Print Media

In India, print media started during the period of British colonial rule. The first newspaper came out in 1780 — Hicky’s Bengal Gazette. In some time, these newspapers and magazines became common in Indian houses. At that time, the main source of news, opinions, and advertisements was these newspapers and magazines only.

If we go back to the history of print media, back to the 15th century when the printing press was invented by Johannes Gutenberg, the books and written material were copied by hand. Can you imagine how long that took? This invention of Johannes changed everything, making this information accessible faster than ever before.

Learn From the Past

Even today, a lot of people rely on newspapers for the daily news, especially in the Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities in India. So this means print ads in India have a strong presence and reach at the present time also.

One thing we all agree on and have observed over time is that print media has always adapted. From colonial newspapers to glossy magazines in the 90s, the format may have changed, but the purpose remained the same: to influence, inform, and engage.

Why Print Marketing is Working Today in a Digital World

Today, everything is going digital—then why would anyone invest in print media? This is a fair question. But here’s what I have seen: if you are doing it in the right and proper way, print ads can actually support and boost your digital campaigns.

Here are a few points why print still matters:

• Lesser competition: If we see the digital era, it is very much crowded now, whereas print gives you a quieter environment to grab attention.

• Longer attention span: Print media is more likely to be read and remembered as compared to social media, where people can scroll in seconds.

• Trust: A printed ad or report gets more credibility as compared to what people see on social media, because people trust print more than what they see online.

Print and Digital for Better Results

According to you, what is better, print ads or digital campaign? What if we don’t compete with these and use them together? Can you imagine how strong a team they would make together.

How:

• Use print ads to drive online action: What if we mention a limited-time offer in our flyer and ask people to visit the website to get this offer.

• QR codes in print ads: Adding a QR code to your newspaper or magazine ad which can take people to your website or social media page.

• Consistency is the key: Make sure the information in your print ads and digital campaigns aligns with each other to make your brand look unified.

Role of Print Ads in India Today

Today, if we talk about Government campaigns and election-related ads, they rely on print media. It is affordable with deep reach, and it works.

From my own experience, I have seen that certain business like real estate, education and retail, print media is their go-to choice. This is the reason why audience of these sectors still reads newspapers and trust printed information.

Conclusion

So in my option, it’s not about choosing between print or digital. It is about understand your audience and using both where these can make the most impact.

So, the next time if someone tell you print media is outdated, share this information about print media with them—the strong past, a relevant present, and with the right approach, an even better future.

Thanks for your love and reading it! If you have recently tried print marketing, I would love to hear how it worked out for you. Let’s learn from each other’s experiences and keep evolving.

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