Ricoh co-funds groundbreaking research to drive A New Narrative for Print

London, 2nd December 2024 - The Independent Print Industries Association (IPIA) has unveiled its ground-breaking national print research and advocacy project, A New Narrative for Print. The project's primary aim is to positively shift the perception of print among UK consumers and businesses across a range of critical factors.

The research was conducted by world-leading communications agency Madano, which has mapped perceptions of the UK print industry across a range of key metrics using its specialist data science technology and analysis tools. 

Studying more than 12,000 online conversations across social media, media outlets, blogs and forums and through analysis of the dominant narratives in the conversation around print, the study obtained an accurate picture of how the print industry and its products are perceived. 

Some of the key research findings include:

• Print industry drives and develops incredible innovation, but the message is not breaking through to the right audiences, struggling to demonstrate its effectiveness
• The sector is desperate to show print is better than digital advertising or other forms of communication, rather than showcase how it might work to enhance the effectiveness of those mediums
• There is a need for the industry to demonstrate that print is a sustainable medium, but comes up against significant reasons of why this is a challenging idea or concept

The study also identified ways how these challenges can be addressed, and emphasised the need for print industry and its stakeholders to communicate the unique abilities of print in ways other mediums cannot. 

Tim Carter, Commercial Print Director at Ricoh UK Graphic Communications, comments: “We are proud to be part of this exciting project. We all need to act in true partnership and collaboration to show where print can create a positive impact.” Tim continues: “Personally, having spent most of my career in print, I am passionate about the future of the industry. I want us to work harder at making print appealing to every generation, so they understand the value of print: rewarding, tactile, with the ability to stimulate the senses like no other method of communication. It's for those reasons Ricoh continues to advocate, innovate and invest in print as we believe it will remain an important part of the communication mix in the future.”

Ricoh is one of six IPIA Members working in partnership to support the research.

For more information about A New Narrative for Print research, visit https://ipia.org.uk/a-new-narrative-for-print/.