It's two years ago now when we reached the point at which the majority of GPs were categorised as 'digital natives'. The definition of a 'digital native' being a doctor who qualified during or after the internet went mainstream, and has relied on digital interactions through connective technologies throughout their career.

But what does that mean for us as marketers and how should we respond? Is print dead after all?

While I squeeze into the digitally native age bracket, I wasn't born to technology and inevitably see digital as a developed tool rather than as a given, but I appreciate that for my younger colleagues it's an integral part of our world environment.

So what is the role for print in their world? Does anyone read anymore? Well anyone who regularly commutes knows the now all pervasive leaf litter of Metro, Shortlist, Stylist etc. that fills our carriages with decent but disposable reading matter and this alone would suggest that print has a place. (Metro is in the top 5 national daily newspaper in the country, read by over 10 million adults in print.)

At the other end of the spectrum, much as the rebirth of vinyl has been about the quality of the experience and the tactile experience (it's interesting that vinyl sales overtook sales in digital music by the end of 2016), so we see a resurgence of printed material in specialised high-end publications such as Mr Wolf or The Outpost.

Beautifully printed and designed, these are shorter-run publications that retail at high value. They are also generally released at a lower-than-usual frequency - quarterly or bimonthly - allowing the reader to engage with the publication over a long period of time and create a shared experience in a tactile world of shared values.

And in its way, the GP market has been following these trends. Pulse, at one time the all-pervading weekly news-driven title, is now a monthly. Its high quality print offering reflects on clinical trends, rather than chasing the news which we will inevitably find online. MIMS is now quarterly with a great new print job and makeover. And over 100,000 HCPs still receive free weekly BMA News at their home every Saturday. 

Print has a value. It can create a strong relationship with all ages if used well. It also creates a tactile relationship. A really great mailing piece can give the sense of something special designed just for you. That's not a feeling you generally get from an inbox full of emails.