“I started my career at R.R. Donnelley, a company with a corporate library at the time straight out of a Harry Potter movie—multi-story, rich wooden shelves, an opulent atmosphere. Clients would tour the space, and we’d host meetings and dinners there. It housed pages from the original Gutenberg Bible, World War I pilot manuals, first printings of encyclopedias, the original Sears Roebuck catalog, and iconic Life Magazine issues. If you looked at it as just a collection of printed materials, you missed the point. It was 150+ years of history, chronicled in print. Unlike digital files stored on a server or in the cloud, this was a tangible history. That experience shaped my deep appreciation for print and paper.
Chris Berardelli is President of Media Horizons, a direct marketing agency focused on proving the power of print. He believes that print and direct mail offer boundless opportunities for creativity and deepen the emotional connection to brands.
The library was 150+ years of history, chronicled in print. Unlike digital files stored on a server or in the cloud, this was a tangible history.
In today's world, impactful creative matters more than ever. Creative sells – whether it's a TV ad, a TikTok video, or a printed catalog. Digital fatigue is real and print offers something distinctive. It can enhance the creative component of a marketing campaign and allow brands to stand out. Consumers’ primary source of content consumption is through digital channels but from a marketing standpoint, brands must continue to meet the consumer where they want to be met. Across multiple generations, many still want to engage with print media and direct mail.
Digital fatigue is real and print offers something distinctive.
Recently, I heard a CEO of an apparel business tell an audience that his customers prefer an in-home shopping experience over brick-and-mortar and that the catalog is the best way to showcase the product assortment to those customers. For many businesses, nothing compares to print in making a connection between the products that they sell and their customers. Marketers now understand that there can be synergies between print media and digital, and that the two should be choreographed together in a marketing campaign. At Media Horizons, we like to call this media harmonization.
Marketers now understand that print media and digital should be choreographed together.
I have two sons, 19 and 21. I often ask them and their friends about their feelings on print. The responses always include intrigue and interest. My eldest loves music and he told me that young musical artists are fascinated by the creative possibilities with print, because they don't have to conform to defined aspect ratios to display content like on digital media platforms. You can see through the big murals and posters used by artists and musicians today. It showcases a genuine appreciation for the possibilities with print. Even digitally native brands – those that started as e-commerce businesses, who only advertised digitally – are now increasingly including direct mail into their media mix, because they recognize the power of print.
Even digitally native brands are now increasingly including direct mail into their media mix, because they recognize the power of print.
If you survey most marketers, they would like to use a higher grammage or basis weight paper and a gloss coating, because it lends itself to higher print quality reproduction. For direct mail, you often want something with substantial heft in the consumers’ hands, because that can drive engagement and conversion. However, there are competing factors that need to be considered – creative design, sustainability, and cost.
In terms of sustainability, paper can carry a powerful message. Companies known for their environmental stewardship can choose a paper that aligns with their brand values and resonates with their customers.
For direct mail, you often want something with substantial heft in the consumers’ hands, because that can drive engagement and conversion.
I've heard some people characterize postage as the existential threat to the direct mail business because the rate of postage inflation is a multiple of normal inflation. We often try to shift conversations with clients from cost to performance. If something performs well — even at a higher cost— why does the cost matter? Performance is about sales and profits, yes, but also about brand awareness, which can be harder to measure. The right paper can create an elevated brand experience. People want something tangible, something that feels substantial in their hands. The right paper makes images pop, deepening their emotional connection to a brand.
Consumers will decide whether they engage with print, but we must champion it.
I believe the future of print marketing and direct mail will always be dictated by consumers, but those of us in the industry have a role to play as well. We must innovate, refine, and prove print’s effectiveness. Consumers will decide whether they engage with print, but we must champion it.”
As told to: Daniela Walker
Photos: Todd Midler