I cannot claim ownership of these interesting tit bits about the connection of print advertising and brain activity, but, as a graphic designer, it is music to my ears! Designing for print and seeing the printed piece is gratifying and satisfying, and to know that scientifically it is having impact on the viewer makes all the hard work worth while.
It sounds eerily supernatural, but there is a powerful and scientifically verified link between print marketing and the human brain.
In fact, neuroscience and haptic research studies prove that touching something with your hands helps you process it and commit it to memory.
For marketers, that means consumers better absorb and retain messages in print format versus on-screen advertising.
Below are specific findings from the scientific community about the power of print on the human mind.
| FACT: | |
| Physical ads cause more activity in brain areas associated with value and desire. -Temple University Study |
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| Print advertising offers the ability to deliver rich, vivid imagery along with tactile stimuli that can maximize sensory appeal. -Journal of Consumer Research Study |
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| Direct mail marketing messages are 24% easier to process mentally than digital ads. Brand recall from direct mail is 70% higher than digital media. And direct mail scores 55% higher than digital ads at motivating a person to action. -Canada Post Study |
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| Printed mail more easily triggers recall, with a 32% improvement on long term memory encoding than email, and 72% higher than television. -Royal Mail, Private Life of Mail Study |
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| Physical materials produce more brain responses connected with internal feelings, suggesting greater internalization of ads. -Millward Brown Global Research Study |