How 5 Savvy Agencies Cut Through the Digital Noise with Print

Digital noise is louder than ever. Organisations are sending 20% more emails than at the start of the year. We're getting “Zoom fatigue" from back-to-back video calls. Being online has never felt more exhausting.

So savvy agencies are turning to print to help them cut through the noise and get their message heard. Whether they need to connect with their clients, find new ones or share exciting new projects, print is their secret to thriving in a tough market.

From an illustrated guide to the animation process to a newsletter clients read "cover to cover", see how 5 agencies use newspapers to set themselves apart from the competition.

Inspired first impressions

Animation studio Animade’s spirited characters look like they've sprung to life on their own, but in reality lots of planning, storyboarding and revision happens behind the scenes. Not all of their clients have experience with animation, so Animade uses a mini newspaper to get everyone on the same page.

"We realised what a handy tool it was for introducing people to the animation process in a studio like ours."

"The Seven Steps of Animation Production" is an illustrated guide to every stage of their creative process, from first phone call to final delivery. “The response we got was phenomenal,” says Amy Knight, Animade's head of marketing. “We realised what a handy tool it was for introducing people to the animation process in a studio like ours.”

Knockout newsletters

C Space is a global agency helping some of the world's best known brands – like Walmart, Samsung and IKEA – focus on what really matters to customers. Before using Newspaper Club, they mostly shared content online through email and social media, but with so much "noise" in these digital channels it was hard for them to reach customers and be heard.

"Our clients read the newspaper cover to cover. It gave us a platform to produce our best content and showcase our expertise."

In 2018, C Space shifted their marketing strategy and started publishing their tabloid newspaper, In Print, to cut through this digital noise. After a year, 30% of their new revenue was directly attributed to this new strategy. “In a digital world, print is disruptive,” says marketing manager Amadeus Redha. “Our clients read In Print cover to cover. It gave us a platform to produce our best content and showcase our expertise.”

Fast, fresh catalogues

"The newspaper is a super cost-effective way to do mass print in an age of digital,” according to Studio Small, a London-based design agency working with luxury clients like Ralph Lauren, Margaret Howell and Fred Perry.

"It's enticing to look at but not too precious — customers feel comfortable picking it up and reading it."

They use our tabloid newspapers to promote Fred Perry's fashion releases each in a unique way. “It's enticing to look at but not too precious — customers feel comfortable picking it up and reading it,” says says project manager Katherine Doubleday.

The flexibility of the format allows the brand to keep things current and get in front of a fast-moving audience. And thanks to Newspaper Club's quick turnaround, Studio Small says they "have the finished newspapers printed and delivered to Fred Perry's distribution centre in less than one week."

Eye-popping portfolios

Representing some of the most exciting artists working in CGI and motion design, MUCH Creative uses our mini newspapers as a lightweight alternative to the conventional artist portfolio. Rather than producing “clunky large books” MUCH wanted something that could “be left behind, shared and collected.”

"Our clients LOVE the newspaper format. The details are sharp, the colors pop and the textures shine through every image."

They printed a series of 24-page minis each showcasing an individual artist including David McLeod, Velvet Spectrum, and Philip Lück (all pictured above). “Our clients LOVE the newspaper format,” says MUCH founder Matthew LeBaron. “The details are sharp, the colors pop and the textures shine through every image.”

Remarkable reports

Instead of a dry set of facts and figures, make your agency’s annual report a page-turner. Take a cue from Bullhorn, a Kentucky-based design agency and certified B Corporation, who reflect on the work they’ve done over the past 2 years in the striking mini newspaper above.

Featuring interviews and stories from clients and the Bullhorn team, creative director Adam Kuhn says the printed newspapers have been “a fantastic compliment” to the companion website Bullhorn is using to reach out to new clients.

The Arts Development Company (above) uses our tabloid newspapers to share the work they're doing to fund arts and culture programmes in the U.K. Playful illustrations bring this overview of their projects to life and the report shows, not just tells, what sets them apart.

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