Think about the last time you were idly browsing the internet in your free time – do you remember any of the ads you saw? Chances are the answer is no, and there’s a very good reason for this. A phenomenon called “banner blindness” has resulted in a big drop in the effectiveness of digital advertising – especially display ads like banners. Let’s look at exactly what banner blindness is and how print marketing could help you get around it.

What is “banner blindness”?

Originally coined back in 1998, the concept of banner blindness is actually nothing new. In a nutshell, the term refers to the idea that people browsing the internet will – with or without knowing it – ignore the banner ads shown to them. Internet users have become so used to seeing these banners filling every side of a web page that they actually look straight past them and focus only on the pillar content.

How print media circumvents banner blindness

Aside from being a non-digital media, printed marketing materials offer a variety of benefits over and above digital banner ads. One of the biggest benefits relates to attention. Part of the cause of banner blindness is that a user is presented with a wide variety of potential focal points on any given website – they just don’t know where to look. With physical printed media, people have to pick the material up and give it their full attention to absorb it. Even just a cursory glance of a physically printed leaflet, flyer printing, or even a business card, will stick in the memory far longer than a banner ad.

A physical opportunity in a digital world

If you’re a business looking to make an impact and increase leads, you could definitely benefit from printed marketing materials. Far from being an outdated means of communication, print is quickly becoming the underdog of advertising. As more and more of us become used to the digital world and thus start becoming blind to its forms of advertising, the more physically printed media will become effective again. The feeling of holding something tangible in the hand just can’t be beaten by anything in the digital space – and that’s a key advantage to advertisers.

If you’d like to discover the difference printed media could make in your marketing strategy, be sure to check out our top tips for 2020. To learn more about PrintUK.com and how we could help your business, get in touch with the team today.