Survey Confirms Traditional Media Still Has Legs

Planning to cut back on your print media in 2013? Think again. More than half of respondents to our latest online reader poll (51.6 percent) said they were “surprised” to learn that many association leaders believe their members still place a high value on the print editions of their magazines, newsletters, directories, show guides and other forms of traditional media. While more than one in four respondents (26.6 percent) said they were purposely moving away from print, a roughly equal number (28.1 percent) said they weren’t because their members prefer the combination of print AND digital. Thus, they weren’t surprised by the research findings.

Research supporting print’s continued relevance in the association communication landscape came from the Association Adviser’s annual communication benchmarking study among other sources.

There’s just something about the “thump factor” that you can’t replace online, the head of a midsize national association told us earlier this year. He was referring to his organization’s hefty membership directory, which remains a cornerstone of his organization’s communications platform despite the success he’s had with digital media products. “Man, that thing still has impact when it hits the desk,” he chuckled.