What neuroscience, behavioral studies, and marketing data reveal about the renewed power of print

TL;DR: Print and direct mail continue to outperform digital advertising in attention, memory, trust, and action. Recent studies in neuroscience, consumer behavior, and marketing effectiveness confirm that in a world overloaded with digital noise, brands that show up physically are winning attention, loyalty, and long-term results.

Summary: Why Print and Direct Mail Still Win

• Print drives stronger memory and engagement than digital.
  Neuroscience studies show physical mail triggers 29% higher brand recall and activates motivation-related brain regions more than digital ads (Temple University, 2021).
  
  

• Direct mail requires 21% less cognitive effort to process yet delivers 70% higher recall compared to digital formats (Canada Post/Temple neuromarketing study).
  
  

• Print supports the entire customer journey, from awareness to post-purchase loyalty. It influences every stage more effectively than digital alone (Sama, 2019).
  
  

• Younger generations trust print.
  Gen Z and millennials perceive print as more credible and less intrusive than online ads, and report higher purchase intent from printed materials (Kumar & Mehrotra, 2018).
  
  

• Print and digital are most powerful together.
  Cross-media studies show direct mail boosts online engagement, increasing branded search, site visits, and conversions when combined with digital ads (IJRM, 2020).
  
  

• Physical ads hold attention longer and generate deeper emotional engagement, according to EEG and eye-tracking data (Clement et al., 2018).
  
  

• Print stands out in a digital-fatigued world.
  With inboxes crowded and attention spans shrinking, physical media offers a moment of pause—and lasting impact.
  
  

• Direct mail is now trackable.
  With QR codes, personalized URLs, and real-time dashboards, marketers can measure scans, opt-ins, conversions, and ROI from print campaigns.

The Limits of Digital Attention

Digital advertising dominates marketing budgets, but marketers are seeing diminishing returns. Social feeds, inboxes, and mobile screens are flooded with ads. Users have learned to ignore them. Click-through rates are in decline, trust in digital platforms is wavering, and most online ads are forgotten within seconds.

Despite this, many brands continue to invest heavily in digital formats while ignoring one of the most consistently effective channels available: print. Far from being outdated, print and direct mail have proven advantages in grabbing attention, driving memory retention, and influencing real-world decisions.

Neuroscience Proves Print's Superior Brain Impact

A foundational study from Temple University and Canada Post used fMRI scans to measure how the brain responds to the same advertisement in physical and digital formats. The results were striking. Participants who saw physical mail had greater activation in the ventral striatum, the part of the brain associated with motivation and reward. These physical ads were also more likely to be encoded into memory and required less cognitive effort to process.

In fact, participants remembered print ads 29 percent better than their digital counterparts. They also showed stronger emotional engagement and were more likely to say they would purchase the product. This was not just a small preference for paper. It was a deep, measurable difference in how the human brain interacts with tangible media.

When it comes to attention and recall, the science is clear. Our brains are wired to engage more deeply with physical things than with pixels.

Print Works Across the Entire Customer Journey

Digital ads often perform well at the top of the funnel. They are great for generating awareness or driving website visits. But when researchers studied how different media formats influenced the full path to purchase, print came out ahead.

In a 2019 study published in the Journal of Creative Communications, Ramzan Sama found that print advertising had a meaningful influence at every stage of the consumer decision process. This included awareness, interest, conviction, purchase, and even post-purchase loyalty. No other format had the same full-funnel impact.

Print is not just a tool for brand awareness. It is a driver of action and long-term engagement. In fact, brands that use direct mail effectively often see higher conversion rates and stronger customer retention compared to those that rely on digital alone.

The Generation Gap Myth: Why Gen Z Trusts Print More

One of the biggest misconceptions in marketing today is that younger generations only engage with digital content. While Gen Z and millennials are certainly fluent in online platforms, that does not mean they ignore offline media.

A study published in the Global Media Journal by Kumar and Mehrotra (2018) challenged this assumption. It found that young consumers viewed print ads as more credible, more informative, and more trustworthy than digital ones. Despite spending hours a day online, these consumers were more likely to believe and act on messages delivered through printed formats.

The reason may be psychological. Print feels more intentional. It is less interruptive and more immersive. And because it is rare, it feels valuable. For younger audiences who are constantly bombarded with digital noise, receiving a personalized piece of mail can feel surprisingly fresh.

Physical Mail Creates Deeper Memory and Stronger Emotions

A 2018 study by Clement et al., published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics, used EEG and eye-tracking tools to evaluate how people process print versus digital advertising. The findings reinforced what the Temple University study revealed.

Print ads generated longer gaze durations, higher levels of emotional engagement, and stronger memory encoding. Participants were more likely to recall the content of a printed ad and connect with it on an emotional level, even when they were not consciously paying close attention.

Unlike digital banners that vanish in seconds, physical mail sticks around. It gets posted on fridges, shared with friends, left on desks, and revisited later. This longevity gives brands more opportunities to be remembered and acted on.

Print and Digital Together Are Better Than Either Alone

It is not a question of print or digital. The most successful campaigns use both together.

A 2020 study in the International Journal of Research in Marketing explored how direct mail and digital display ads worked in combination. The researchers found that direct mail served as a powerful primer for digital engagement. People who received a physical mailer were significantly more likely to search for the brand online, spend more time on the website, and ultimately convert.

Print is not just effective on its own. It actually makes your digital spend work harder. By introducing your brand in a tactile, trustworthy format, direct mail builds familiarity and primes the brain for future online touchpoints.

Print Requires Less Effort and Delivers More Impact

One of the most surprising insights from the Temple University study was that physical ads required 21 percent less cognitive effort to process than digital ones. Despite being easier to absorb, they led to 70 percent higher recall. This makes print one of the most efficient channels in terms of mental load versus marketing impact.

In a world where consumers are mentally exhausted and constantly distracted, that efficiency is gold. You are not just grabbing attention. You are making your message stick.

Direct Mail That Drives Action

It is not just academic. We are seeing this play out in real campaigns.

For example, one retailer recently launched a direct mail campaign through BirdseyePost targeting customers with personalized postcards and unique QR codes. The result was over 160 opted-in leads in just a few days. That level of engagement would be expensive and unpredictable with digital alone.

Physical mailers allow for personalization, geo-targeting, behavioral targeting, and creative flexibility. And with innovations like trackable QR codes, brands can connect offline moments with online actions—while measuring results in real time.

Print in 2025: Your Competitive Advantage

So what does this mean for marketers in 2025?

It means that print and direct mail are not relics of the past. They are smart, research-backed tools that deliver real business results. They break through digital fatigue, build trust, and convert at a higher rate. They complement and strengthen your digital efforts.

If you want attention, use print. If you want trust, use print. If you want to be remembered, use print.

The smartest marketers are not abandoning digital. They are combining it with channels that give their message more weight. Print is not the past. It is the competitive edge of the future.

Ready to See What Print Can Really Do?

If you're looking to break through the noise, build real customer relationships, and drive performance you can actually measure, it's time to give direct mail the attention it deserves.

BirdseyePost makes it easy.
We help growing brands launch personalized, high-impact postcard campaigns that capture attention, drive conversions, and track results—down to the scan. Whether you're targeting new customers or reactivating loyal ones, we handle everything from strategy to printing to delivery.

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Is print advertising still effective in 2025?

Yes. Multiple peer-reviewed studies show that print ads outperform digital in several areas including attention, memory retention, emotional engagement, and purchase intent. With digital fatigue on the rise, print stands out as a high-impact channel, especially when combined with digital campaigns.

How does direct mail compare to email in terms of engagement?

Direct mail has significantly higher engagement rates than email. While the average email open rate hovers around 18 percent, direct mail is almost always seen, physically handled, and often remembered.

There's actually some fascinating brain science behind this. When you hold a piece of mail, it activates different parts of your brain—the areas linked to motivation and reward. Your brain literally processes physical mail differently than digital messages. It's not just marketing speak; it's neuroscience.

Do younger generations respond to print?

Surprisingly, yes. Research shows that Gen Z and millennial consumers view print as more credible, less intrusive, and more thoughtfully designed than digital ads. Because print is now less common, it captures more attention and feels more intentional.

Here's why: they're so used to being bombarded online that print feels refreshing. It's like finding a handwritten note in a world of text messages. Because print is less common now, it actually stands out more. Younger consumers see it as more intentional, more thoughtful—like the brand actually cares enough to send something real.

Can print work with digital campaigns?

They're actually best friends! Think of print as the wingman for your digital campaigns. When someone gets a well-designed piece of mail from your brand, they're primed to notice you online. They'll be more likely to search for you, visit your website, and actually convert.

It's like meeting someone at a party (print) and then following them on social media (digital)—the combination is more powerful than either one alone.

Is print measurable?

Modern direct mail platforms now offer advanced tracking capabilities. Technologies like personalized QR codes, landing page attribution, and customer data integrations allow marketers to track opens, scans, conversions, and even revenue per recipient. Print is no longer a "black box"—you can measure what matters.

What types of print formats perform best?

It depends on your goal, audience, and message. Postcards, brochures, catalogs, and letters all have their place. For acquisition, 6x9 postcards with personalized offers often drive strong results. For retention or high-value campaigns, larger formats or catalog-style pieces can create deeper engagement.

Is print expensive compared to digital?

While print has a higher upfront cost per impression, it often yields a higher return on investment due to better conversion rates, stronger recall, and longer shelf life. When used strategically, print can be more cost-effective than many digital-only campaigns.