BY DENISE HEIDEL

There are no shortages of advertising opportunities.  You may feel like you’re bombarded by ads.  And the truth is – you are.  In 2007, a market research firm estimated that the average person saw up to 5,000 ads per day.  In 2021, recent estimations propose that the average person sees between 6,000 – 10,000 ads per day.  It’s no wonder we’re overwhelmed.

That number may feel unrealistic to you.  But ads are everywhere.  We pass them on billboards.  Hear them on the radio.  Our favorite TV shows are interrupted by them.  And they show up in our social media newsfeeds and even in between songs on Spotify.  That number may feel exaggerated to us because we’re good at tuning out what we’ve seen digitally.

Don’t believe me?  Let me ask you something.  Have you ever been bored, scrolled aimlessly through Facebook, closed the app, and then – reopened it literally seconds after you closed it?  You forgot that you were just there.  Because we are so numb to the digital, we tend to tune out our own activity.  That’s how we end up wondering how a simple check of social media time-sucks away 45 minutes before we know what happened.  If we can so easily tune out our own activity and time – of course, we can tune out digital advertising.

Then, there’s this magazine.  It’s full of ads because advertising pays the bills. That’s how you get to enjoy a free copy month after month.  But what about our ads?  Do these make a bigger impact in your life than the 6,000+ other ads you’ll see today?

Studies say – yes.  Yes, they do.

It starts with this truth:  You chose to pick up this magazine.  You chose to open the cover, and you chose to flip the pages.  You chose to read this article.  And guess what?  Your retention is going to be higher than it would be if you were reading it online.

When you see the ads in the pages that grace our magazines, you’re not being chased down by the digital Big Brother who, the moment you show interest in a toaster oven, will plaster your every web-movement for the next three months with various brands and sizes of toaster ovens.

In this magazine, you’re being introduced to your neighbor – a local business who, like you, has a vested interest in our community.  And unlike a digital ad that may interrupt an interesting cooking tutorial and virtually hold you hostage before letting you see the finished recipe, you get a say in this form of advertising.  You can choose whether you want to participate or not.

So, why print?  Because no matter how digital our lives become – print will not die.  It’s more engaging.  It engages the reader visually but also physically through the touch of paper.  Even the smell of paper and ink is a form of engagement.

Print is versatile.  It’s traditional.  And yes – it may be slower.  It may be less flashy than an animated arrow obnoxiously fighting for the viewer’s attention.  But it’s a richer connection that can never be duplicated through digital media.

Our world continues to expand digitally, and the demand for digital advertising will continue to grow.  But don’t discount print.  It’s here to stay.

A very special thank you to the advertising partners who entrust their marketing dollars to Forsyth Magazines.  We are thankful for your support!01