New Narrative for Print challenges industry perceptions

The Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA) has finalised the ‘A New Narrative for Print’ white paper, which calls on the industry to permanently shift the perception of print by end-users, consumer audiences, and related sectors.

The IPIA’s national print research and advocacy project was originally announced in September and was developed with research agency, Madano. The project utilises innovative digital data acquisition and analysis technology to attempt to determine print’s role alongside digital channels and the application of print across other sectors.

The paper’s data analysis aims to answer key questions such as how the industry resonates across other sectors, where opportunities for market growth can be found, how to bring younger people into the industry, and the role of buyer perception and consumer trust in industry profits.

The data for the publication was gathered over a 12-month period and included over 12,000 data points. The final publication gives a detailed picture of how the print industry is perceived by consumers and key print-buying markets across a range of metrics including effectiveness, trust, and sustainability. It also analyses the perceived role of print within multi-channel marketing campaigns.

The white paper challenges what the IPIA labels as “the increasing absence of print in the marketing and communications decision-making process of potential print-buying markets”.

Among the findings from the publication, the gathered research also suggests that there is a lack of recognition among consumers about the role print plays in everyday lives. The IPIA is now calling on print companies to celebrate its role in a more concerted manner, allowing it to be “rediscovered” by the wider public.

The IPIA has announced that it is launching a social media campaign to tackle this issue. With the slogan “Print Made This”, the campaign will point to the role of print in people’s lives and its ability to make lasting memories and increase consumer engagement. 

Speaking to Print Monthly about the publication of ‘A New Narrative for Print’, general manager of the IPIA, Brendan Perring, says: “We are effectively forming a lobby and advocacy group to effect change in the same way as has been seen in many other industries, but has been relatively lacking in print.

“Inside the industry there is a lot of hype for this initiative, and it’s seen as bold and new, but the reality is this kind of project should be viewed as normal and necessary. This level of self-analysis and transparency is normal in other sectors and what we are doing now is simply catching up.”

Following the publication of the white paper, the IPIA will work in partnership with its members Citipost Mail, Imprint MIS, Ricoh, Konica Minolta, Epson, and The Printing Charity to drive the project forward and effect change based on the publication’s findings.

The IPIA will also engage with a range of stakeholders identified by the white paper as being important influencers of industry and public perceptions who are directly generating and influencing conversations and content in their respective sectors. 50 individuals have been identified across the marketing, advertising, design, fashion, textiles, and photography industries.

Speaking of the importance of changing the perception of print, Phil McMullin, head of commercial and industrial sales at publication sponsor, Epson UK, says: “Print is an innovative and sustainable industry with a great future, important to the UK manufacturing industry both in terms of profit and the number of people employed.

“We need to get the message about print across through education – getting the right information cascaded down to the right people who make the decisions. If we can change how end-users perceive print as creative, innovative, and sustainable, that’s going to be a good thing for everybody.”

The white paper will initially be available only to IPIA members, as well as customers of the project’s sponsors. It will be made available to the wider industry at a later date. However, the full publication has already been released to members of the industry press.

The role of press and media in affecting perceptions of print has been a key focus for the IPIA. During the organisation’s annual conference in September, where ‘A New Narrative for Print’ was officially launched, Print Monthly was asked to offer its insight into industry perceptions.

David Osgar of Print Monthly answered questions from the audience alongside Jack Gocher from Eye on Display and Richard Stuart-Turner from Printweek in the ‘A View from the Press’ panel. The session circled back to many key topics including young people in print, the future of the industry, and diversification.