Printed advertising material

Under printed advertising material is understood to mean all analogue advertising media made of paper, such as flyers, brochures, catalogues, posters, labels or ceiling hangers. They are used to present products and services in a tangible way and usually remain in the target group's environment for longer than digital formats. Print media at the point of sale (POS) can convey important details such as price, product name and product description, as well as technical information or emotional images. In modern marketing, they pragmatically complement digital campaigns. While the bright, digital eye-catchers attract attention with moving images, printed posters provide easily recognisable information about special offers or soberly point out legally required information.

With constantly improving technologies, digital displays and electronic shelf labels are increasingly replacing printed advertising materials in POS communication. However, printed advertising media continue to hold their own in shops, as retailers rightly take a critical view of the high initial investment costs, rising energy consumption and maintenance costs of digital media, which should not be underestimated. Electricity, WLAN and software are just three of the many digital media companions that need to be organised.

In addition, the costs of disposing of digital advertising media can be critically questioned with an increasing focus on sustainability. After all, printed media is based on paper that is 100 per cent recyclable as it is made from renewable raw materials. With the high degree of change in the price labelling of shops - especially with regard to the products advertised weekly in the flyer - it is worth weighing up very carefully whether the printed advertising media are cheaper or whether the investment in digital media pays off in the end.

It is also important to consider the content management of the printed advertising material. Software that works with templates and offers a suitable template for every format is recommended for this. In view of the large amount of product information that changes on a weekly basis - depending on the industry, the flyer offers alone can cover over 250 products, plus manufacturer-related product changes, new products, etc. - a connection to the relevant databases, PIM and merchandise management systems is also essential.

The essential process optimisation also includes a large number of automations that a template should offer. With its software platform, the market leader Online Software offers PRESTIGEenterprise a professional tool for handling printed advertising material, especially with regard to the creation and management of print media for price and advertising communication.