Our lives are rife with endless scrolling, notifications and pixels, and if you work in marketing, it’s easy to focus on these areas as the most important aspect of your campaigns. But it’s important to keep in mind that printed media still has the power to make people pause. It’s not just about the thrill of a glossy magazine we love – it’s all sorts of print.

There’s something about the sensation of holding something physical – the weight of a printed booklet in your hand, the feel of the paper and the permanence of the ink that, for many people, still trumps digital marketing strategies.

Dipping your toe in print, as a marketeer, might seem as though it’s full of jargon and production quirks. But it’s surprisingly straightforward. Plus, when you connect a print strategy with digital campaigning, it has the potential to become one of the most powerful tools in modern marketing.

Print still carries weight in your marketing mix

Despite advancements in technology, the truth is that print holds people’s attention in a way screens rarely do. Research from JICMAIL shows that a piece of addressed mail gets over two minutes of active attention spread across nearly a month. Compare that to the few fleeting seconds an online ad enjoys.

Even better, print doesn’t just sit on the kitchen table – it drives action. Roughly six per cent of mail prompts a purchase, and nearly half of those happen online. In other words, print starts the journey; digital finishes it. And it’s even more impressive when it comes to magazines.

You already know that we have invested considerably in research around print and digital media consumption, with print having some impressive stats and preferences when it comes to going head-to-head with online.

But some unique neuromarketing research by Canada Post also found that physical media required less cognitive effort, generated higher recall, and was more motivating than comparable digital ads.

Print materials elicit stronger emotional responses and deeper brand connections. The tactile experience of touch and texture continues to activate emotional and memory-related regions of the brain, helping audiences engage more meaningfully with the brands in front of them.

With so much focus and drive being placed on social media virality, it’s easy to think of print as being an outdated form of marketing. Instead, see it as your high-attention, high-trust channel; the piece of your marketing mix that endures long after the browser tabs have closed.

Making offline work online

Print doesn’t have to live in isolation, and when done right, it can act as the bridge to your digital world. And this is where the best results happen.

QR codes are still the simplest way to connect the two. A quick scan takes readers directly to your landing page, video, or offer – but give each campaign its own code, so you can track who engaged and where. For audiences less QR-friendly, include a short, memorable URL or even a personalised link.

Then there’s tech with a bit more flair – NFC chips and augmented reality. These can trigger animations, demos, or interactive content, but it’s important to remember to use them to add value, rather than as a flashy gimmick.

Whatever route you choose, always design for mobile first. Most scans will happen on a phone, so keep the page light, fast, and instantly actionable. Ensure your online creative feels visually connected to your printed piece.

7 design tips to keep in mind

1. One purpose per page. Don’t overcrowd; give your reader one clear next step.
2. Create hierarchy. Let size, contrast, and space lead the eye naturally.
3. Make it readable. Body text between 9–11 pt, headlines bold enough to be seen at arm’s length.
4. Lead with value. State the benefit before the brand.
5. Make response effortless. Combine QR, short URL, and a clear reason to act.
6. Keep it consistent. Match tone and visuals across print and digital.
7. Add trust cues. Logos, credentials, even a small “Printed responsibly” note — these build credibility.

Sustainability in print

Sustainability is at the forefront of business discussions nowadays, and we choose FSC or recycled papers, print with vegetable-based inks and keep your formats efficient to reduce waste. A small note like “Printed responsibly by…” quietly signals that you’re on top of your footprints.

Bringing it all together

Print can be magical. When you understand how paper affects perception, how a well-placed QR bridges offline to online, and how colour accuracy shapes your brand feel – you move from simply producing print to using it strategically.

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As AI-powered search continues to grow and develop, understanding how platforms like ChatGPT rank and recommend content – and how to optimise for them – is becoming increasingly important for businesses and SEO professionals. In this article, Adam Smith, Head of SEO at Brick Digital, explores the ranking factors influencing ChatGPT’s recommendations, and the role of holistic online marketing in optimising for AI-driven search.

In recent months, businesses are asking more and more questions around the ranking factors of ChatGPT and other AI Search Engines – and with good reason. The technology is advancing at an alarming pace, and may soon become a key platform for search. Understanding how it recommends products, services, and information may become a must-have for future strategies from your SEO and link building agency, and for businesses wanting to dominate the AI search landscape.

Naturally, this prompted some digging for answers, and we’re pleased to report that we’ve found some insights worth sharing.

Before diving in, a quick disclaimer: While this article focuses primarily on ChatGPT as the market leader, many of the points explored here may also apply, in one way or another, to AI search engines like Claude, Perplexity, DeepSeek, Gemini, or even Midjourney.

With that in mind, let’s examine how AI search looks at the start of 2025.

Search data

In December 2024, OpenAI made ChatGPT’s search function available to non-paid user accounts for the first time, resulting in increased referral traffic for many of our clients and surpassing referrals from other AI search engines. While this move may have been purely strategic on OpenAI’s part to stay ahead of the competition, it also provided valuable data to analyse.

Currently, there’s no way to extract keyword data from AI search engines. This may change in the future, but for now, businesses can still track landing page data, which we know offers various insights. By understanding user journeys – what they search for, why they search for it and which pages they would land on – it’s possible to at least begin the process of optimising websites for a future of AI Search.

Thankfully, this process isn’t entirely dissimilar from ranking in Google, making the concept less “alien” overall. That said, businesses tend to focus on writing and ranking service pages on their websites, rather than supporting ‘top of funnel’ content…which means they run the risk of missing out on AI Search traffic.

This is due to the fact that most AI interactions are conversational, rather than the 2-3 word searches we’re used to entering in the likes of Google. We could search for “financial advice” in Google, but we’re more likely to ask an AI assistant a detailed question, such as: “This is my financial situation. I want to achieve X. How do I go about doing this?” These queries often come with the expectation for the AI to engage in further conversation and follow-up questions.

From our research, it seems this conversational approach to AI search is why we’re seeing its referral traffic landing on very specific product or information pages.

Conversational search

As touched on above, the biggest advantage of ChatGPT (and indeed, other AI platforms) is the ability to ask detailed questions and receive nuanced, conversational responses. Unlike traditional search engines, which serve static results, ChatGPT’s responses evolve based on user input, creating a more personalised and interactive experience.

That said, we’ve noticed that when topics are raised for which more information is readily available online, ChatGPT becomes more helpful, offering more enriched, accurate and up-to-date responses. Conversely, when less information is available online, or when that information conflicts, responses become more limited and less accurate.

For example, ChatGPT is able to deliver a wealth of expertise regarding consumer rights, employee rights and personal finance, thanks to extremely well-established documentation on websites like moneysavingexpert.com, which it will often link to in responses.

On the other hand, when asked to explain the rules of a tabletop game (as requested by two of our staff members, both of whom are enthusiasts), responses were inconsistent and sometimes incorrect. This is likely because the information ChatGPT draws from comes from a smaller pool of sources – YouTube influencers and casual bloggers – each of whom may be detailing slightly different interpretations of the same rules.

Naturally, it would be beneficial to see how much AI referral traffic ChatGPT and other platforms are being sent to landing pages as a result of this.

Our research

In addition to our own day-to-day use of ChatGPT and other AI tools, our insights also come from an early study that was commissioned by one of our clients. As part of this research, we asked ChatGPT a series of questions reflecting different stages of a typical user journey. Rather than using keyword-based queries, we framed our prompts conversationally, mimicking how real users interact with AI – explaining a situation, objectives, and challenges.

ChatGPT provided step-by-step solutions to each scenario, often recommending online resources and suppliers. While not the case in every test, it would typically do this without being prompted.

When asked why it had chosen to reference or suggest specific websites, ChatGPT openly disclosed its ranking process. It had searched Google’s SERPs, weighed the value of results based on a number of ‘trust’ factors across the internet as a whole, and then made recommendations accordingly.

ChatGPT Search ranking factors

Google rankings

Our study suggests that ChatGPT considers Google search engine rankings when generating recommendations, typically selecting 3–5 results based on additional factors outlined below.

Brand mentions

There appears to be a preference toward brands and products that are frequently mentioned across the web in relevant contexts. This aligns with recent trends in Google’s algorithm, where brand mentions are gaining importance in ranking for generic, high-volume search terms.

Recommendations and reviews

The number of positive reviews and overall sentiment around a brand play a role in AI search rankings. ChatGPT draws from Trustpilot, Amazon, company websites, and blog reviews, but it doesn’t just count the results; it analyzes their content to extract key selling points and USPs.

Resources and supporting content

Websites with in-depth guides, tools, and helpful resources tend to be recommended more frequently. This includes free trials, demos, and sample offerings.

Domain

e SEO professionals speculate that domain authority and age influence ChatGPT rankings, but our findings suggest these factors are correlations rather than direct ranking signals. Household names like Ikea naturally score higher due to their extensive brand mentions and high volume of user-generated content rather than simply because of their domain authority.

Conclusion

Beyond boosting your Google rankings, it seems that having a great product or service, supporting resources, positive customer reviews and a balance of recommendations on niche-relevant and authoritative websites makes you more likely to be recommended by ChatGPT.

Due to the “conversations” users are having with ChatGPT and other AI tools, we expect to see greater value in supporting users at every step of their journey, not just the step before they come to your website to convert.

For years, Google has encouraged companies to engage in holistic online marketing, but never really seemed to reward it. Now, it seems ChatGPT may be moving toward rewarding this behaviour and, in return, rewarding companies who follow a new form of “best practise”.

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As you can imagine, we are all over this. The Silver Marketing Association (SMA) supports promotes best practice and ethical marketing to the mature market. This means everything from promoting causes like the Age Friendly Employer Pledge to undertaking important research work into the various aspects of the silver sector. They champion businesses in the sector – Silver Magazine included – and the business awards are a highly contested badge of honour for those who win. Here are the Silver Marketing Association awards.

About the awards

These awards recognise and celebrate the companies and organisations that have delivered a successful marketing campaign in the last year, focusing on the older demographic and showing creativity, empathy and measurable results. The entries are judged by a brilliant lineup of informed and impartial judges. The awards’ headline sponsor this year is Boom Radio – so the host for the event will be Boom co-founder and presenter David Lloyd (below). We’ve seen him speak before and he’s hugely entertaining – worth going to the event just for him!

In alphabetical order, the shortlisted entries in each category, together with the sponsors, are:

Best Radio/Podcast Campaign – sponsored by Senior Response

Shortlisted:

• Age Co – Things Get Better with Age Co
• Boom Radio & One Traveller – One Traveller radio campaign
• Intergenerational England – The Talking Generations Podcast
• Vintage Travel – Vintage Travel – Silver Awareness

Best Print Campaign – sponsored by Saga Magazine

Shortlisted:

• Age Co– Things Get Better with Age Co
• Alfa Travel – Alfa Travel 2024 brochure
• BlueStar Media & Silver Travel Advisor – Silver Traveller Magazine
• BlueStar Media & Ambassador Cruise Line – Ambassador Cruise Line – Fair Winds Magazine

Best Outdoor Campaign – sponsored by Mash Marketing

Shortlisted:

• Centre for Ageing Better - Age Without Limits
• The Kite Factory and Don’t Panic – Oxfam – Staying In The Fight
• YourStride – Grassroots Bowls Clubs

Best Direct Mail Campaign – sponsored by Eight Days a Week Print Solutions

Shortlisted:

• Audley Group – Audley Luxury Retirement Villages
• Granite & TREND Transformations – Merry Christmas
• McCarthy Stone – Time to open a new chapter

Best Social Media Campaign – sponsored by Silversurfers

Shortlisted:

• Accord Marketing & Ambassador Cruise Line –  Ambassador Cruise Line
• Ageism Is Never In Style – #ILookMyAge
• Granite & TREND Transformations – Sustainable Kitchen Makeover

Best TV Campaign – sponsored by ITV

Shortlisted:

• Accord Marketing & Ambassador Cruise Line Ambassador Cruise Line – Enjoy yourself
• The Kite Factory and Don’t Panic – Oxfam – Staying In The Fight
• TVADSWORK and Doro – The Doro TV Commercial’ Campaign

Best PR Campaign– sponsored by Marketing Radar

Shortlisted:

• Finn Partners & The Advantage Travel Partnership  – Travel Triumph: Targeting the Silver Traveller for The Advantage Travel Partnership
• LOTUS & Visit Guernsey – Visit Guernsey – Renoir in Guernsey; 1883
• Wallacea Living – The Time of Your Later Life

Best Digital Marketing / Age Tech campaign – sponsored by AgeSpace

Shortlisted:

• CareCall – CareCall
• Dementia Adventure and Freddie’s Flowers – Blooms of Connection: Celebrating Dementia Adventure’s 15th Birthday with Freddie’s Flowers
• Granite & TREND Transformations – Digital Lead Generation Campaign
• Mistral Hotel – Singles in Crete & Copywrite That - New Sunday Best Friend

Best Overall Multi-Channel Campaign – sponsored by Precision Platinum

Shortlisted:

• Accord Marketing & Ambassador Cruise Line – Ambassador Cruise Line – Enjoy yourself
• Centre for Ageing Better – Age Without Limits
• McCarthy Stone – Time to open a new chapter
• Wallacea Living– The Time of Your Later Life

Good luck to everyone taking part! The awards will be presented at a sparkling drinks reception on Tuesday 25 June 2024 at the Cavendish Centre, London W1 from 17:30 -18:30 following the Silver Marketing Summit.

Please contact enquiries@silvermarketing.org if you would like to attend the Silver Marketing Association awards.

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The Silver Marketing Summit is fast approaching, on Tuesday 27 June. As sponsor for the Best Social Media Campaign award, we’re VERY PROUD to be part of celebrating the growing world of silver marketing. And the Silver Marketing Awards are just about to happen.

Hosted by Derek Jones, a veteran of the entertaining travel industry, the awards will showcase and celebrate exceptional campaigns in the mature marketing industry. Furthering the exposure of companies who are working towards a media landscape more representative of the older age range in the UK.

It’s not just an awards night though

The winners will be announced at the Silver Marketing Association Business Awards. The awards take place following the Silver Marketing Association’s Summit on 27 June, at the Cavendish Centre in London. Tickets for the Summit are still available, as well as tickets for virtual attendance. 

Read about the Silver Marketing Awards – Unveiling the Silver Business Awards

And the nominees are…

Best Print Campaign – sponsored by Radar

• Alfa Travel – Alfa Travel Brochure
• Bray Leino – Have you heard about Gine?
• Silver Travel Advisor – Silver Traveller

Best Digital Campaign – sponsored by SilverSurfers

• Action Alliance – Age Action Alliance launch
• Autumna – Targeted Shortlist
• Noon, in association with Vision Express and The Forth Angel – See Yourself Differently in Mid Life
• Real Response Media – World of Cruising 

Best Direct Mail Campaign – sponsored by Eight Days a Week

• Greensleaves Care –  Greensleaves Care Winter campaign
• Hodge – Mortgages as Unique as Your Clients
• JG Travel Group – Less is More

Best Social Media Campaign – sponsored by us! 

• Accord Marketing & Ambassador Cruise Line – Lead Generation
• Jam & Staysure – Travel Worth Doing Right
• The Bias Cut – Ageism is Never in Style

Best TV Campaign – sponsored by Hodge 

• Bray Leino – Have you hear about Gina?
• Precision Creative and Media – Stannah Stairlifts – “Find Teddy”
• Saga – You’re not wrong
• The Kite Factory & Don’t Panic – WaterAid: What Jack gave

Best Radio Campaign – sponsored by LBC

• Accord Marketing & Olympic Holidays – Welcome to our home
• Boom Radio – Oddfellows friendship month
• Boom Radio – Kelvin Furniture retirement clearance sale 
• McCarthy Stone – Peace of mind

Best PR Campaign – sponsored by Mash Marketing

• Anything But Grey – Saga Exceptional
• DAPS Agency Ltd – Boosh Foods Bone Broth
• Finn Partners – the St. Helena 
• LOTUS (in collaboration with the Spanish Tourist Office) –  Spain Sustainability Day

Best Multi-Channel Campaign – sponsored by Precision Creative and Media

• Bray Leino – Have you heard about Gina?
• Centre for Ageing Better – Age friendly employer pledge
• Saga – Experience is Everything
• Silver Travel Advisor – Silver Travel Tours

We’ll see you there!

The Silver Marketing Association Summit is being held at the Cavendish Centre, Duchess Mews, London, W1G 9DT.

After a day of insightful talks and discussions, involving people from organisations like ITV, Daily Mail, and the National Innovation Centre for Ageing, to name a few, the Silver Business Awards will be presented at 17:30, following the summit’s finish at 16:45. Sparkly drinks will be served after the awards, until 19:00, for you to enjoy whilst celebrating and networking. 

We don’t want anyone getting getting lost. Oxford Circus, and Regent’s Park are the closest underground stations. Use the Victoria, Central, or Bakerloo line to Oxford Circus station. Or, head to Regent’s Park station using the Bakerloo Line.

Registration and networking begins at 9:00 (coffee and pastries provided), with events and talks promptly kicking off at 9:25. See the full summit itinerary here. 

Lana Hall

Lana can usually be found spinning her collection of records, or writing odd poems in her phone notes. Her mixer of choice is a ginger beer, and you’ll never find her away from the sea for more than a few weeks.

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