Image by: joeshlabotnik
The Baader-Meinhof phenomenon, otherwise known as frequency illusion, occurs when the thing you’ve just noticed or been told about seems to crop up constantly. You know how it is; you’re looking for a new car and then, everywhere you go, you start to see that particular make and model.
The same can be said about moving across to a new industry with different clients. Having worked in construction and architectural PR for many years, my recent move to AD Communications has certainly opened my eyes – in fact, it seems that everywhere I look now I notice a client name or an unusual use of print (mostly shop windows). Well, it’s a good excuse to check out the January sales…
With that in mind, one particular element that has really grabbed my attention is the way in which print is used to fuel a range of cross-media campaigns, supporting the role of websites, mobile internet, email, broadcast and social networking sites to help enhance the overarching message.
On a number of occasions just this week alone in fact I have found myself referring to mobile websites and social media pages for more information having read about a brand or product in either a magazine or direct mail piece first.
Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have given this process a second thought (the ideal outcome, really, when being used as part of a wider marketing strategy) but being more aware of this and the role that print has to play when it comes to a more ‘joined-up’ approach has meant that I’ve noticed more and more just what a big impact print actually has on our everyday lives. In fact, learning about wide format printing and the applications in which it’s used fleetingly made me consider a wrap for my car (unless I could make my car look like a cat, in which case, sign me up!)