Print Brochures Doing Well in a Digital World

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By: Doug Bedell

James C. Morrison was told by a futurist 15 years ago, "Five years from now, your business won't exist." Morrison's business? Distributing travel brochures. Instead of disappearing, reports Lancaster (Pa.) Online, it's growing. His brochures aren't being wiped out by the Digital Age. This is a story worth recalling as you consider your publicity options in an increasingly on-line world.

There remains a place for print (at least in some forms) in these digital times. "The trick, according to Morrison, is to use the time-tested brochure in concert with electronic media. 'We find that one supports the other. They're not mutually exclusive,' he (Morrison) said."

At least in the tourism industry (and why not elsewhere?), when websites first appeared, officials thought they were all that would be needed for marketing destination attractions. But soon there were millions of websites. Now social media, especially Facebook and Twitter, are being viewed as "a similar panacea." But, says Morrison, whether it's websites or social media, tourism sites can be swamped in digital clutter.

"The trick, according to Morrison, is to use the time-tested brochure in concert with electronic media."

Brochures aren't like newspapers and magazines. They don't have to be recreated daily or monthly by sizable staffs of journeymen. And it looks like Jim Morrison's travel brochures will still be around while other forms of print display falter in these digital times.

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About the Author

Doug Bedell has a background in journalism and PR and is the owner of Resource Relations LLC in Central PA, focusing on organizational and crisis communication. He’s the community manager of SimplyFair.net, a social network on fairness. On the Web, Doug’s at www.ResourceRelations.com. On Twitter, he’s @DougBeetle.

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