Consumers are craving authentic brand experiences that digital alone can't deliver, according to analysts and new research from Quad and The Harris Poll that reveals the enduring power of physical media in an increasingly digital world.

"I think consumers have incredible BS detectors. If you're not being consistent with your story in multiple places, they're not going to believe you," said Heidi Waldusky, Vice President of Brand Marketing at Quad, on a recent episode of "Behind the Numbers." "That's inauthentic."

Digital isn't enough: Consumers want tactile experiences

Waldusky said the Quad research reveals a surprising trend: 71% of consumers feel print is more authentic in connecting with brands than digital media.

This preference isn't limited to older generations—63% of Gen Z and millennials express interest in print magazines, compared to 48% of adults overall.

"What they're telling us is, 'I have a real psychological need as a human being for tactile experiences,'" Waldusky explained. "This isn't about nostalgia because these younger generations simply don't have the experiences to want to go back to the way something was."

Physical media creates stronger connections with consumers for neurological reasons.

"We create an index in the brain that maps what we read visually to a particular page," said our analyst Marcus Johnson. He said this physical interaction helps with information retention in ways digital media cannot replicate.

Consistency is key to authentic storytelling

For brands looking to create authentic connections, consistency across channels is essential. Waldusky emphasized that authentic storytelling isn't just about the words brands use but how they behave across all touchpoints.

"If you're showing up and you're telling me one thing and you're behaving another way, even if it's just a few times, it starts to erode that trust," she said. "Consumers will start to call you out. It's actually one of their favorite hobbies."

Waldusky pointed out several brands that excel at making customers part of their story:

• Chick-fil-A places customer stories at the center of some campaigns
• Budgeting tool YNAB builds its brand around responding to customer queries
• Dick's Sporting Goods created House of Sport retail experiences where customers can try equipment before buying
• Delta Airlines invested heavily in rebuilding LaGuardia Airport, demonstrating commitment to customer experience

"We're creating a really deep value exchange here. Thank you for being a customer. In return, here's all the things we're going to give you," said Waldusky. "You feel like you are part of that brand's story, even if it's not by literal testimonial."

The pendulum swing back to brand building

Nike's return to the Super Bowl after a 25-year absence signals a broader trend of brands rediscovering the importance of storytelling after over-indexing on performance marketing.

"They had gotten away from their brand storytelling, and it was showing in the stock price," said Waldusky.

This shift comes at a critical time when many brands are cutting brand-building initiatives in favor of performance marketing—a strategy that may backfire in the long term.

Physical touchpoints like packaging represent crucial opportunities for brands to make meaningful connections.

"Packaging is really that tactile form of experiencing a brand," Waldusky said. "Very rarely are you making human contact with a brand. But when I am experiencing the packaging, it's telling me a story about your brand. It's telling me how you want me to experience your brand."

Listen to the full episode.

This article was prepared with the assistance of generative AI tools to support content organization, summarization, and drafting. All AI-generated contributions have been reviewed, fact-checked, and verified for accuracy and originality by EMARKETER editors. Any recommendations reflect EMARKETER’s research and human judgment.