It’s hard to argue the case for certain business forms when you’re doing all your banking on a smartphone. Should you fight for printed newspapers if you digest all your media from websites and TV? It is valiant to advocate the place for print in the media mix, but let’s not over-egg the pudding. That’s when print-advocacy turns into print-preaching.

I think the reason this happens is because the pendulum has swung so far away from ink on paper. We feel compelled to rectify the balance.

I’ve heard nonsensical strategies to prioritise online communications in situations when print just makes more sense. I saw this firsthand only recently. A friend of mine is opening a gym in western Sydney. I asked about his marketing plans. How would prospects find out about this new venture? He started talking about social media advertising, email marketing and the like. He asked me to proofread his website (this happens a lot to journalists).

Then he asked my advice. How did I think he should market his new gym?

Now, with my ProPrint editor hat on, I always want to argue the case for print, even it’s not always the most appropriate channel. However, in my friend’s case, print just made the most sense. His prospective gym members would live or work in close proximity to the new site. It seemed obvious that the letterbox should be his primary marketing channel. I suggested the Local Direct Network service run by Salmat, which allows small customers to tailor a letterbox campaign based on postcode. I also said I’d give him the names of a local independent printer or franchise to help him set up a localised direct mail or letterbox campaign.

At least, this is what I wanted to tell him. But I had barely said the word ‘print’ when his eyes glazed over. Moments later, he was back on about Facebook advertising. I just shook my head (internally, at least).

This interchange speaks volumes about the problems print faces. It’s not just the environmental misconceptions. Or the difficulty in tracking ROI via the kind of metrics available to online advertisers. It is a lack of, for want of a better word, sexiness.

I wanted to say, hey, if letterbox advertising is good enough for Dick Smith and Woolworths, then maybe you shouldn’t discount its effectiveness. There’s a reason why major brands still use print – because it delivers.

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