PPB May 2020

Ca l enda r s by Kristina Valdez O nce upon a time, when print products were ubiquitous—hint: they still are—it seemed like a distant thought to imagine digital devices replacing any type of print. However, fast forward 50 years, and most people still prefer to read on paper rather than screens, according the Pew Research Center. Whether it’s a notepad you carry in a bag, a sticky note on your fridge or a printed calendar hanging from your wall, paper still plays a major role in helping us to stay organized, remember small details and—at the very least—know what day it is. With apps and software built into our phones and computers, the need for paper calendars or planners, at first glance, seems obsolete. But digital calendars become infiltrated with notifications, alerts and messages that are all competing for the user’s attention. Paper planning is simpler and more thoughtful, like keeping a journal, and that value hasn’t gone unnoticed among end users. Between 2014 and 2016, the sales of appointment books and planners grew 10 percent to $342.7 million, and decorative and other calendars increased by eight percent to $65 million during that time, according to The NPD Group. Pencil It In Calendars Provide A Refreshing Break From Technology In this digital age, paper calendars continue to remain timeless and make a lasting statement for advertisers. 38 | MAY 2020 | GROW