PRINT media is the most effective form of advertising for retailers, with new research showing that the medium helps to increase sales significantly, according to a report in the Britain's Daily Telegraph this week.

A study by econometricians at BrandScience for the Outdoor Advertising Association (OAA) in Britain has found that for every £1 (S$2.25) spent on newspaper and magazine advertising, retailers see a sales increase of £6.23. BrandScience is a think-tank focusing on creative thinking and brand development.

For every £1 that retailers spend on television and outdoor advertising, revenues increase by £3.57.

Despite the growth of online advertising, the OAA said the research showed that traditional media was more lucrative than online for 'bricks and mortar' retail advertisers, such as supermarkets and high street clothing shops.

For these retailers, online advertising generated £2.23 in sales for every £1 spent.

The Daily Telegraph said that these findings demonstrate that traditional advertising mediums such as print are still effective.

The Daily Telegraph said that traditional advertising has faced increasing pressure from the recession. Over the past five years, the industry has seen a structural downturn in advertising with advertisers migrating online.

For fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG), television has historically proved the most effective advertising medium. However, BrandScience noted that television is not as lucrative to these advertisers as it once was. For every £1 spent, FMCG advertisers now get a sales increase of £1.31 on television, or £1.12 when production costs are taken into account.

'Television is not the medium it once was as we have seen a fragmentation of viewers,' said Mr Alan James, the chief executive of the OAA.

This article was first published in The Straits Times.