Survey: Print outperforms all channels for ROI

Marketing professionals should look to expand their use of print advertisements, according to research from Thinkbox.

In response to what it describes as significant behavioural shifts in media consumption, Thinkbox produced “Profit Ability 2: the new business case for advertising”.

The new meta-analysis study claims to be  “the most in-depth analysis” of advertisement effectiveness to date, examining £1.8 billion in media spend across 141 brands across the UK.

The survey spotted the biggest areas in terms of return on investment (ROI) for marketers. All advertisement channels from cinema screenings to linear TV broadcasting were found to be profitable drivers of business growth.

The most significant channel to achieve a positive return on investment across all 141 brands was print advertising, including advertorials, despite only accounting for 3.3% of investments analysed.

For every one pound invested into print, the average return was £6.36, outperforming other common channels such as linear TV and audio. Sustained advertisement efforts were also found to be crucial in securing ROI from all channels.

58% of an advertisement’s total returns are generated after the initial 13 weeks of publishing. Therefore, the long-term value of traditional channels, including print, shouldn’t be underestimated.

Short-term benefits to print were also demonstrated as the meta-analysis named the channel as most successful in relative contribution to profit when considering short-term returns.

Print advertisement holds value in both the short and long-term examination of returns, categorising it as universally useful.