Canon Study Finds Printed Media Important to UAE and African Businesses

A groundbreaking study conducted by Canon Middle East reveals that 97% of organizations in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Africa still consider  printed media to be important to their business. The detailed survey was carried out through in-depth interviews with 210 users and commissioners of professional printing in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, Egypt, Morocco and Kenya.

Results found that 54% of the participants considered print to be more effective than any other type of media, while 90% stated that they would include print in their multi-channel communications tools. The percentage is the highest amongst all the different types of media.

The findings are unexpectedly in sharp contrast with the predictions of industry experts at the beginning of this decade.  They said digital would gradually replace print because of its importance to a company’s marketing and communications strategy. In fact, the research results show that print and digital are both expected to grow. Each is part of an integrated cross-media campaign rather than competing for singular usage. This is further verified by the fact that almost half of the organizations contacted said they anticipate an increase in their use of print in the near future.

“Print continues to be the No. 1 choice for organizations in the Middle East and North Africa due to its effectiveness in transmitting a message to the end user,” says Naoshi Yamada, Deputy Managing Director, Canon Middle East. “The findings show that the world is not moving from one medium to another as expected a few years ago, it is moving towards a convergence of media where print, digital, social, mobile and broadcast have equally important roles as part of a multi-channel communications strategy.”