Surveys show that it’s not yet time to play “Taps” for the printed word—when it comes to media buys, marketers are still choosing to implement print into their marketing mix. Published surveys from Hanley Wood show that 95% of B2B marketers rely on trade magazines when making purchase decisions. Other published surveys show that the B2C world is not abandoning print editions. So while there is a decided shift to online for news consumption and information gathering, print continues to be a go-to-source that marketers must leverage. But how?

Perhaps consider implementing and tracking unique URLs on print advertisements to measure print’s influence in driving online activity. Or consider how a print campaign can influence social media behavior. Starbucks has recently implemented a print campaign in select cities and is challenging people to hunt for the ads, take a photo of it and post it to Twitter to gain exposure for their brand.

To find success in the evolving world of marketing may depend on how well marketers can combine the new with the old. Are you finding ways to leverage offline activities to drive customers online? Do you think traditional marketing still plays an important role in the marketing mix?