Two Sides Autumn Seminar reaffirms the popularity of print as an essential medium for media planners with leading media players citing print as being "the new cool" and having a unique appeal compared to digital media.

Held at Stationers' Hall in London on 7 November the Autumn Seminar entitled: "Why print has a key role to play in the integrated future of marketing" included influential brand owners and media decision makers.

Leading figures from the print and paper industries and other members of Two Sides listened to speakers talk about their own experiences of how important print is and their individual perceptions of its future success alongside digital counterparts.

The speakers included:

Philip Smith, Head of Content Solutions at Haymarket Brand Republic Group, who hosted the discussion; Joe Clift, Brand and Customer Marketing Director, Specialist Brands & Group Marketing Operations for Lloyds Banking Group; Kate Scally, Head of Consumer Brand Strategy at A&N Media; John Willacy, Media Director at Mike Colling & Co; Phil Sweeney, Acquisition Marketing Manager, Which? and Julia Hutchinson, Chief Operating Officer, Association of Publishing Agencies.

The speakers provoked lively debate and also responded to questions from the audience regarding the significance that print still holds in the media planning agenda. They cited success stories within their own companies where print had played an essential role in the progression of an advertising or media strategy.

Director of Two Sides, Martyn Eustace, welcomed the debate which will enable suppliers of print media to have an insight into how media planners truly feel about the future role of print. He said: "It was excellent and reassuring to hear from the speakers that print is still very much part of the media landscape, both economically and environmentally, and allows brand owners and media planners to achieve amazing ROI for their hard pressed advertising budgets."

European research findings revealed

Two Sides also used the seminar as an opportunity to reveal the findings of its European survey that showed that paper is still the favoured medium of all age groups for reading and safe keeping of documents.

Perhaps the most surprising outcome of the survey was the finding that the younger generation, the so-called digital natives, overwhelmingly prefer print on paper to reading from screens.

The research was conducted by IPSOS in association with Two Sides' sister organisation Print Power. 4,500 European consumers were contacted.

First edition of a regular series of Print Power magazines launched

The first of a regular series of Print Power magazine was also launched at the seminar. The first issue, which was launched in April 2011, was sent to key brand owners and media decision makers and received great reviews. Each issue is aimed at showing unique ways in which brands can communicate with customers, using examples of all the different print media channels, and three issues a year are now planned.