People have been talking about the death of printing for years but printing ain't dead, in some ways it's more powerful than ever.
Advertisers use printing everywhere because it works. On the side of a bus, a train, or even a plane, anything people look at is an opportunity to promote a brand or send a message. There are companies that will even pay you to wrap your car with their logo, heck you can't stand at a urinal in the Boston Garden without staring at a printed poster promoting the latest and greatest thing you can't live without.
Many felt the rise of the internet would be the final death knell; why print something when you can put it on the web? Have you noticed how many billions of web pages there are on the web and how many millions more are added each day, how do you get people to your page, printing that's how.
Staples, the office superstore uses printing to drive people to their website. Every month they send special offers in the mail that include a special promotion code allowing them to track the effectiveness and ROI of every printed promotion. Fifteen years ago the big knock on direct mail was that you couldn't measure it, companies invested millions without being able to accurately track their results and measue ROI. Today by combining printing with the internet not only can you track results you can do it in real time.
It's simple really every month they send a postcard sized card that includes their monthly special offers, the offers are only good on the web and you must enter the promotion code from the postcard to be eligible. The codes are the key, every order can now be tied back to a specific promotion or mailing.
Does it work? It must; I've been getting their mailings for 2 years, I use them and the mailings keep on coming. Printing ain't dead it's just different and in many ways much more powerful, just ask Staples.