Starting with the launch of the iPhone in 2007, reaching consumers through digital tactics climbed to the top of the marketing hill. But a funny thing happened on the way to the print graveyard — consumers refused to turn away from printed media, especially younger consumers. 

Print media, including catalogs, magazines, direct mail and packaging, is enjoying a renaissance. According to The Harris Poll’s 2025 Return of Touch report presented by Quad, 71% of consumers said print catalogs or magazines feel more authentic than digital campaigns. And 73% of Gen Z (ages 18-28) and Millennials (ages 29-44) said they looked forward to receiving catalogs from brands. 

In a highly distracted marketplace, offline elements like print media can help maximize the effectiveness of campaigns for marketers. And optimizing print to do that is easier than it’s ever been with technologies like variable-data printing, Flowcode integrations and real-time tracking, says Heidi Waldusky, Quad’s VP of Brand Marketing. “We can treat print as a signal, not a silo,” she says. “We’re seeing a true cultural shift from digital domination to a more nuanced omnichannel approach.”

Return of Touch: Print media builds brand trust

71% of consumers say catalogs and magazines feel more authentic.

Tactile experiences make print media more memorable

A key benefit of print is that its tactile nature increases marketing messages recall. The way our brains work, touching a printed piece — direct mail, a magazine or a branded package, for example — strengthens memory pathways. That tactile experience makes the brand messaging carried by the piece “stickier” than something we just see or hear, both in consumers’ minds and IRL.

“Printed pieces live longer than fleeting digital impressions when they are on a coffee table, our desk, the refrigerator, etc.”

John Puterbaugh, Quad’s VP of Advanced Media and Innovation

To take advantage of these benefits, marketers need to think about print differently. “Print shouldn’t be treated as merely an add-on, but rather as a well-thought-out part of an audience strategy that’s proven to work,” Waldusky says.  

Here are five ways to optimize print advertising and round out your omnichannel strategy

  • Personalize it. A personalized mailer or catalog can prompt a landing page visit, which feeds back into the audience model and informs personalized follow-up messaging with email and a mailed postcard that gets stuck on the refrigerator. Each touchpoint increases the chance the message will be seen and absorbed.

    “It’s more than connecting channels — it’s about creating a frictionless conversation across them,” Waldusky said. “Done right, a catalog isn’t the campaign’s last mile; it’s the opening act.” 

  • Augment your print. Make your brand more shoppable by using print as a physical platform to experiment with digital technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR). Print advertising with Flowcodes or QR codes can send a consumer to the website for a look at all of a company’s products. A different QR code in the same ad can give someone a virtual interactive experience with your products or merchandise.  

  • Inspire action. As CPG brands strive to engage with their end users, printed touchpoints provide key IRL experiences that not only improve recall but can also deepen engagement and mine first-party data. Whether the print is in–store via POS signage or at home via a mailed postcard, a catalog or on packaging itself, marketers can combine print messaging with ways to turn interest into action.

    This involves adding some type of digital response vehicle to the printed piece (e.g., QR codes, vanity URLs or short codes — five– or six-digit phone numbers used to send and receive high–volume text messages). The combined print and digital one-two punch enables brands to capture first-person data, convey additional content and capture actionable insights that can be used as part of the campaign or consumer’s journey. 

  • Make it premium. A printed piece like a magazine can help create a community of customers around your brand. “Offline marketing still has a sense of premium and prestige to it,” Chris Toy, CEO of marketing talent platform MarketerHire, told Modern Retail. “If you were to send some effective print collateral, it has much more impact than just seeing the $9 million ad on your phone. There’s opportunity there to have a different viewpoint on the brand.” 

    Apparel retailer Uniqlo has been publishing a magazine since 2019, now called LifeWear. The company says it explores the concepts behind the clothing and its production. The latest issue includes tips on Parisian style and an interview with actress Cate Blanchett. The magazine is available in Uniqlo stores and online. The company said its print circulation is 1.5 million. 

  • But first: Test it! Use pre-market testing to assess the effectiveness of print advertising or packaging creative and messaging. Testing platforms like Quad’s Accelerated Marketing Insights (AMI) can guide marketers before they spend a penny on production. AMI’s proprietary methodology leverages virtual testing and engages participants who, based on Quad’s unique data stack, align attitudinally and behaviorally with target customers.

    Each virtual testing cycle measures messaging and creative across a matrix of both. Marketers gain useful insights — like whether a consumer is promotionally sensitive and wants coupons or is informationally sensitive and responds to a Flowcode that takes them to product pages.

“The good news is there’s no singular answer here, and that leaves room for play — the very best part of our job,” Waldusky says. “For our industry, we see real-world experiences and physical media as the new edge because they create what digital doesn’t: true presence.”  

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