There is a raging discussion at moment on design and marketing forums; the battle for supremacy in the online brochure versus print brochure debacle. Which one has more value? Which one do the consumers have more affiliation with? Which one is right? The answer is both of them, used in conjunction.
There is no right or wrong answer but there are pros and cons to each medium. In the age where print costs are rocketing and the green ethics remind us not to waste paper on tonnes of brochures, it would be easy to turn to online brochures. However, the traditional methods still win through with the consumer. Is this because people don’t like to browse brochures online or because they prefer to have a brochure in their hand?
Ikea are one company that have successfully adopted both online and print brochures to satisfy the needs of the consumer. With easy page turning and zoom qualities, people don’t have to worry about not being able to read the text. If online brochures can look like this, rich and engaging, then the question would be why bother with the printed version: http://www.ikea.com/ms/en_GB/virtual_catalogue/online_catalogues.html
Maybe it’s because a large proportion of the consumers use the internet but would be daunted by being sent online to find their wares. We have already seen that some industries have adopted a stance towards online brochures and we may see a decrease in printed formats. However, industry measurements of online brochures have showed that they work, but only when they are backed up by a good campaign and printed materials. Surely in a time where consumer’s choice is paramount, your clients should be able to read sales brochures or trade brochures in the format they require.
Therefore the answer we’d give is; they are not in direct competition. They should complement each other to add another medium for your consumers; not used as an ‘either or’ method of design or marketing. If you produce a huge amount of print brochures every year, this may be your time to embrace the option of producing an online format and go for a smaller print run. We can’t argue that the world is moving further towards online trends but to cut out our coffee break flicking through the latest catalogue – maybe not just yet.
