Do We Need Point of Sale Literature?

Has the end of collateral or point of sale literature really arrived, or is there still a need and a purpose in spending countless pounds on designing, creating and producing these products?Of course the pure "marketeer" will always say there is a need and benefit from having them; however the other side of the argument would say it's a waste of paper everything goes out in emails as PDFs now.I believe the tough and annoying answer here is it depends - on the purpose and the outcome that you are looking for. Recently I was handed a folder from an organisation that support businesses with grant funding and access to finance schemes, it was almost a cut and paste of their website in print format. Who is this for?A great speaker friend of mine Dr Graeme Codrington specialises in understanding generational and demographic dynamics, specifically how we work with and communicate with the different generations that are in the work place today. Consider this in relation to Point of sales literature - would a "Y" generation buyer within an organisation read a folder full of paperwork and bumf or would they scan the information they are looking for on their smart phone device. By contrast a "baby boomer" buyer is more likely to want to take their time flicking through a physical document giving them the options they require. Sweeping generalisation I know but it does highlight the issue.When I first broke into the speaking world I had a number of products professionally created and designed that did, even if I say it myself, look very professional and of high quality, setting me apart. In the guise of being honest several years later when clearing through my office a large percentage of these brochures landed in the recycling bin, unused and out of date.


I firmly believe that we all have to be far more strategic in our approach to how we use collateral, who it is designed for specifically and how long it will last. Much of our promotional material will be sent electronically so having vast stocks of paper is less necessary when compared to previous years.Contrast this to the occasional personalised mail shot that you receive now which is directed at you, landing in your office and not looking like a plastic covered flyer - are you going to skim it, read it or just bin it? Chances are at worst you'll notice it and maybe if it is relevant to you on the day it arrives you'll digest it.Promotional material is here to stay, the market has matured now and every piece of material created has to be specifically targeted, shorter runs and very focused - the days of a random spray and pray approach to blanket marketing techniques are gone. We need to be strategic and professional in our use of collateral and POS if we want to stand out in a highly competitive and challenging global market place.As an aside how much out of date, old brochures and bumf have you got horded in boxes hidden from site but you know they are still there - Bin them!