I don’t think print is dying soon, says OUP head

If you thought the digital media has completely taken over print, think again. The digital technology is here to stay, but it cannot replace print, say industry players. They will thrive together.

19 Jun 2014 | By Dibyajyoti Sarma

In an interview with The Financial Express on June 16, Ranjan Kaul, managing director, Oxford University Press India, said, “I don’t think print is dying soon, even though some elite schools might experiment in doing away with print altogether.”

Yet, digital platforms cannot be dismissed completely either. Kaul added, “…I do see increasing use of digital towards improving concept building, and making it interesting and enjoyable. A lot of visual learning is going to happen in the coming days.”

While aware of the potential of digital publishing, OUP, known for its dictionaries and textbooks, is yet to look at monetising it. “Last year, we published a lot of digital material for schools, but it was more as a support to our printed texts...”

About their dictionaries, Kaul said, “…Even though the entire content is produced in Oxford, we use Indian printers and Indian paper to keep the price low. One of the reasons we need to do this is to avoid piracy, which is one of the major problems we are facing today.”

On the other end of the spectrum, Terry Peigh, senior vice president, Interpublic Group, a global advertising holding company, while talking to media persons in India recently, said, “Many people thought advertising was dead 10 years ago. Today, people are saying print is dead.  In India, you have so many newspapers. There is still future here …Time will tell if people still want to buy a newspaper in physical form.”

Peigh, who was instrumental in setting ‘New Realities’, a study that puts the spotlight on today’s volatile marketing world, is, however, bullish about the future of magazines. “…Magazines are an interesting area. There are many magazines out here that are doing very well.

There is a market for fashion. There is something to be said for people to be spending time with a high quality, beautiful coloured print ad. Truth is, people still enjoy physical interaction with a magazine, for certain product categories…”