Paper is Forever

I need to come clean. I’m about to share some information that is not deeply researched, only anecdotal. That said, it resonated with me so much that I felt it was worth sharing. So, here goes: a group of young designers working for a leading online entity in California (one we all use) said, “The internet is ephemeral, but paper is forever.”

Gulp. Forever. You can imagine how thrilled I was to hear a group of millennials back a position on paper. It made my heart sing. Their thoughts, as shared, were: what you see and experience on the internet is of the moment. You see it, you consume it, and then—poof—it’s gone. That information has served its purpose. That’s the role of the internet. For things you want to keep and for things you value, you print on paper. Paper—for things you value and want to keep. It turns the marketing mix on its head, but it makes me think. I think about how I use the internet—to find information that I need right now. I access that information, use it and then move on. Maybe this generation is on to something. I don’t need to keep every piece of information in print. As a marketer I wonder what it is you want your customers to keep—and are you printing it on paper? Let me know in the comments and we can continue the discussion. Does that make sense?

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