Print media retains its power to impress in Asia’s luxury market
In an era that fetishises technology, digital dominates the advertising space. Yet in Asia’s luxury landscape, print has not been left with only memories of a gloriously analogue past. Instead, the medium has evolved to offer a permanence and prestige that screens struggle to replicate. As Randy Dua
By Gayatri Bhaumik
In an era that fetishises technology, digital dominates the advertising space. Yet in Asia’s luxury landscape, print has not been left with only memories of a gloriously analogue past. Instead, the medium has evolved to offer a permanence and prestige that screens struggle to replicate. As Randy Duax, managing director, Asia-Pacific at Stagwell, puts it: “Digital won the battle for attention [but] print still wins the battle for significance.”
Enduring allure
For luxury brands targeting affluent audiences in Asia, print combines permanence, intention and gravitas – exuding a prestige that cannot be replicated with digital media. Much of that comes from the physical experience of the printed page.
“Print offers a more considered, tactile encounter with our stories: the feel of the paper, the rhythm of turning each page, the ability to linger on an image or on a sentence,” explains Loletta Lai, Natural Diamonds APAC vice-president, De Beers Group. “Print can deepen the emotional connection because it feels permanent and can be kept forever.”
Beyond its tactile qualities, print remains indispensable for driving emotion, storytelling and brand equity. “Magazines and beautifully produced books are still a preferred way to engage with brand stories,” Lai continues.
It’s an opportunity to let “our brand messages go further and deeper”, says Cheuk Shum, HSBC’s head of marketing, Hong Kong. It’s why the bank chose to use archival articles and images to create compelling print stories as part of its 160th anniversary campaign. In the same spirit, De Beers partnered with high-end publisher Assouline to create A Diamond is Forever, a luxurious coffee table book, to serve as “a permanent cultural archive, not just a campaign recap,” explains Lai.
Telling a brand story in print creates deeply personal connections that are often more successful in driving high-value purchases.
Yannick Ott, director of marketing at Porsche Asia-Pacific, notes, “Print plays a valuable role in supporting the longer, more emotional decision journey that often underpins a Porsche purchase.” He cites My First Porsche 911 – a book focusing on the individual stories of Porsche owners and their personal connections to their cars – as a tangible example.
Print remains especially relevant for targeting high-net-worth individuals (HNWI) in Asia, and this largely comes down to persistent cultural attitudes and preferences.
“In Asia-Pacific, affluent consumers tend to engage with print in a more intentional and immersive way compared to digital,” says Ott, adding that premium print “continues to hold relevance” because it’s considered a more reflective, aspirational medium.
Duax also notes that Asia’s most sophisticated media markets have a legacy of producing high-quality editorial content whose veracity can be relied upon. As such, the “trust premium” for print is much stronger in the region compared to markets in Europe, for example. This regional dynamic gives print a strategic edge in Asia: it taps directly into a cultural inclination towards thoughtful, credible storytelling.
Evolving media landscape
Still, digital channels remain critical for reach, targeting and immediacy. Lai acknowledges that HWNIs engage with digital media to “browse trends, styling ideas and contemporary references”, while Shum notes that HSBC prefers digital media for news-style content and display ads that can be used to convert leads, as well as effectively monitor the customer journey.
But while luxury brands and consumers still harbour concerns about misinformation, brand safety, AI and ad fraud within digital advertising, the question of trust can no longer be categorised simply as print versus digital.
“Credibility lies with the publisher, not merely the medium,” notes Shum, “and a credible publisher carries that trust across all touchpoints, digital or physical.”
Duax emphasises this shift in perspective, adding that “luxury has always been about borrowed equity” and “the environments surrounding a brand shape how the brand itself is perceived”. In practice, this means that to reach affluent clients, premium brands like De Beers look to established, credible media brands whose high-quality editorial environments align with their authority and values.
Rather than print regaining its importance at the expense of digital media, its role has evolved to add depth to broader omnichannel marketing strategies.
A prime example of this integrated approach came when HSBC released its Affluent Survey earlier this year. The bank placed key headlines on printed wrappers displayed over magazines at news-stands, but linked this to digital content to amplify the survey findings to a broader audience. At the same time, it used programmatic display ads to target readers with relevant offers to drive leads and conversions.
The defining shift
Duax concludes: “The future [of marketing] isn’t print versus digital; the future is trusted environments versus untrusted environments.”
For luxury brands targeting affluent consumers in Asia, print remains an essential part of that trusted paradigm – as a strategic anchor for storytelling, carrying emotional resonance and conveying brand authority.