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3rd Row

If you specialise in Social Media Management we want to hear from you!
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Each month on Digital Marketing Briefing we’re shining the spotlight on different parts of the print and marketing sectors – and in May we’ll be focussing on Social Media solutions.

It’s all part of our ‘Recommended’ editorial feature, designed to help marketing industry professionals find the best products and services available today.

So, if you specialise in Social Media management and would like to be included as part of this exciting new shop window, we’d love to hear from you – for more info, contact Kerry Naumburger on k.naumburger@forumevents.co.uk.

May 2024 – Social Media
June 2024 – Brand Monitoring
July 2024 – Web Analytics
Aug 2024 – Conversion Rate Optimisation
Sept 2024 – Digital Signage
Oct 2024 – Brochure Printing
Nov 2024 – Creative & Design
Dec 2024 – Online Strategy
Jan 2025 – Content Management
Feb 2025 – Lead Generation & Tracking
Mar 2025 – Email Marketing
April 2025 – Digital Printing

DIGITAL PRINTING MONTH: Beyond the Brochure – Where will digital printing go next?
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Brands are increasingly turning to digital printing solutions for their campaigns. The technique offers unmatched flexibility, personalisation, and speed, allowing brands to create targeted and impactful marketing materials. Here, we explore the key recent and future trends shaping the world of digital printing for marketing managers…

Recent Trends:

  • Variable Data Printing (VDP): VDP allows for mass customization of marketing materials. Marketing managers can personalize elements like names, addresses, or images on brochures, flyers, or packaging, creating a more targeted and engaging experience for each customer.
  • On-Demand Printing: The ability to print smaller batches digitally eliminates the need for large, pre-printed inventories. This minimizes storage space requirements and allows for frequent updates to marketing materials, ensuring campaigns remain fresh and relevant.
  • Integration with Marketing Automation Platforms: Digital printing solutions can integrate seamlessly with marketing automation platforms. This allows for automated personalization of marketing materials based on customer data, further enhancing campaign effectiveness.
  • Focus on Sustainability: Eco-friendly printing processes and materials are gaining traction. Marketing managers are opting for recycled paper stocks, vegetable-based inks, and energy-efficient printing methods to minimize their environmental impact.

Future Trends:

  • Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) Integration: Digital printing can be used to create AR or VR experiences that bring marketing materials to life. Imagine scanning a brochure and seeing a product come alive in 3D or having packaging that unlocks interactive content when viewed through a smartphone.
  • Short-Run Packaging with QR Codes: Digital printing allows for cost-effective creation of personalized packaging for limited-edition products or promotional campaigns. QR codes printed on packaging can link to interactive content, further engaging consumers.
  • Print-on-Demand (POD) Marketing Materials: POD services allow brands to offer custom-printed merchandise or marketing materials directly to consumers. This opens up new revenue streams and fosters greater customer engagement.
  • Focus on Data-Driven Printing Decisions: Advanced analytics tools will allow marketers to track the performance of printed materials alongside digital campaigns. This data can inform future printing decisions, optimizing return on investment.
  • Increased Automation in Workflow Management: Workflow automation tools will streamline the digital printing process, allowing marketers to easily upload artwork, approve proofs, and place orders online, saving valuable time and resources.

Benefits for Brands:

Embracing these digital printing trends offers significant advantages:

  • Enhanced Campaign Performance: Personalized printing and interactive experiences can significantly increase customer engagement and campaign effectiveness.
  • Improved Marketing Agility: On-demand printing allows for quick turnaround times and frequent updates to marketing materials, ensuring campaigns stay relevant and on-brand.
  • Reduced Printing Costs: Efficient printing processes and waste minimization can help brands optimize their printing budgets.
  • Sustainable Marketing Practices: Eco-friendly printing options contribute to a more sustainable brand image and resonate with environmentally conscious consumers.
  • Measurable Results: Data-driven printing allows for a clearer understanding of campaign performance, enabling marketers to refine their strategy for better results.

Digital printing is no longer just for brochures and flyers. By embracing these evolving trends, UK marketing teams can unlock the full potential of digital printing to create targeted, engaging, and measurable marketing campaigns that resonate with their audience and drive business growth.

Are you searching for Digital Printing solutions for your organisation? The Digital Marketing Solutions Summit can help!

Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash

Sports should leverage AR for improved fan engagement
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Augmented Reality (AR) can help sports companies tackle current challenges by creating more engaging and insightful viewing experiences, while the overall AR market is forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 21% from $22 billion in 2022 to $100 billion in 2030.

GlobalData’s latest Thematic Intelligence report, “Augmented Reality in Sport,” reveals how fan experiences offer the most lucrative and accessible opportunities for AR integration.

Jordan Strzelecki, Associate Thematic Intelligence Analyst at GlobalData, said: “AR graphics in broadcasting create a more engaging and insightful analysis of events. AR on mobile devices is a novel marketing introduction that can increase fan engagement. As media competition intensifies for sports rights with the rise of over-the-top (OTT) platforms, broadcasters must invest in more sophisticated technology to attract or keep contracts and engage with fans. For example, Sky Sports launched a new mixed-reality studio in August 2023 for Premier League Monday Night Football and US Tennis Open coverage, enriching viewing experiences with advanced AR graphics.”

Broadcasters are increasingly providing AR-enhanced alternative broadcasts of sports events to tailor coverage to specific audiences. Stadium-based AR mobile experiences are also available, aiming to enhance live viewing.

Strzelecki continued: “New and innovative AR use cases are regularly being announced. In October 2023, AT&T and Gallaudet University debuted the first 5G AR helmet for deaf American football players. The proliferation of 5G will lead to widespread and more advanced AR adoption among major sports entities.”

Strzelecki concluded: “However, smaller sports federations and clubs will miss out on large-scale technological investment and partnerships. Brands will focus financial resources on teams and leagues with large fan bases and footprints, as they allow them to reach the most people. While brands may still partner with less successful organizations, most sponsorship spend will be directed towards larger properties.”

Photo by Sandro Schuh on Unsplash

IPA Bellwether reports UK digital ad budgets rise
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The Institute of Practitioners in Advertising’s (IPA) Bellwether reports marketeers have revised their budgets upwards in the first quarter of 2017, the highest level recorded in almost a decade.

Some 26.1 per cent of those companies polled remain positive about 2017/18 budgets, signalling growth for the coming year,  while 11.8 per cent of companies said that marketing budgets would increase during the first quarter of 2017.

32 per cent of those companies polled also reported improvement in the financial pipeline, compared to 19 per cent that predicted things would be worse during the quarter.

The IPA reported marketers on tighter budgets are seeing greater value from digital and positioning ad spend accordingly, mostly as a direct result of the unknown effects of Brexit negotiations and wider economic uncertainty.

However, despite a positive outlook for digital ad spends in 2017, the IPA predicts stagnation materialising in 2018, with marketers being advised by experts to proceed with caution.

Speaking about the report, the IPA’s director general Paul Bainsfair said: “The election result has thrown further uncertainty into an already volatile environment.

“It is inevitable that this has had a knock-on effect on UK. Specifically, for marketers this has meant a desire, where possible, to seek out more activation driven advertising. As evidenced strongly in this latest Bellwether Report, this has resulted in a further move towards advertising in the digital space.”