PRINTER news

Mark Redshaw has been named the new president of Specialty Print & Mail, a division of Holden Marketing Group, based in Longmont, CO.

Rockville, MD-based Smith Litho has tapped Robert Birkland as its new COO and CFO. Birkland has more than 23 years of experience in the commercial printing industry.

Print in the Mix

Magazine Ads Featuring Web Addresses Boost Traffic
A Magazine Publishers of America study reconfirms prior studies that show including URLs in magazine ads drives readers to advertiser Websites. The biggest lifts came in the women’s services, home and travel categories, where ads featuring Web addresses were 98 percent, 103 percent and 186 percent, respectively, more likely to boost Website visits.

Source: Analysis of 833 print ads in seven magazines representing six distinct magazine genres. Study commissioned by Magazine Publishers of America and conducted by VISTA Print Effectiveness Rating Service. Released June 2, 2008.

Boomers: Print Drives Online Traffic
In a study of online baby boomer trends, 93 percent of the 40+ year-olds surveyed said they have read an article about a Website in print (newspaper or magazine) and have later visited the site online. Baby boomers account for 78 million people in the United States and control more than 83 percent of consumer spending, reminding marketers that media coverage, as part of an integrated marketing strategy, remains an important element of boomer marketing.

Source: ThirdAge/JWTBOOM of 1,800 U.S. adults, age 40 and over, as reported by Marketing Charts, June 5, 2008.

Advertising Inserts Are No. 1 Research Tool
In 2004, the number of adults who entered a store without doing any prior research to help them make educated purchases was 31 percent. Today, however, since consumers are doing their homework, this number has dropped to 17 percent. Their favorite research tools are as follows: