PATRICE'S PERSPECTIVE
By Patrice Bumstead
General Manager of McKenzie County Media LLC
Farmer Editor
We’ve all heard the phrase “print is dead” before. With the growing possibilities of the internet, more businesses are choosing to focus their energy and resources in online media and forego printed advertising. However, experts say that disregarding printed advertising all together could lessen a company’s chance to reach its desired audience. A good example of why print advertising is a great resource for any company can be found in the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company.
The company was founded in 1891, by William Wrigley, Jr. who had $32 in his pocket upon arriving in Chicago to start his own business. By 1893, he had created Wrigley’s Spearmint and Juicy Fruit Gum.
The editors of the Encyclopedia Britannica state that Wrigley relied on advertising to boost sales, even in 1907, when the banking industry was in drawn-out recession, better known as the Banker’s Panic of 1907. When other companies steered away from spending money on advertising, Wrigley took out a loan for $250,000 and purchased advertising for his company. That risk drove Wrigley’s sales from $170,000 to $3 million by 1910, becoming the largest selling brand in the nation according to Company-Histories.com. Wrigley’s philosophy was “Tell ’em quick, and tell ’em often.”
Today, the Wm. Wrigley Jr. Company is wholly owned by Mars, Inc. It is a multi-national company and is still the largest manufacturer and marketer of chewing gum in the world.
Through countless hours of research, I have discovered many reasons that experts continue to say not only is print alive and well, but it could also be the best tool a company uses for marketing products, employment opportunities, or services offered.
Print is tangible. Educational research indicates that people are more prone to remembering something they interact with. By turning the pages in a magazine, brochure or newspaper, our senses are more engaged, which can lead to a stronger connection to the content.
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