In his seminal 1964 book ‘Understanding Media’, media theorist Marshall McLuhan wrote: “the medium is the message”.
By this, McLuhan meant that the medium through which content is delivered, whether that be television, newspaper or leaflet, can say as much or more than the content itself.
We all have preconceptions about different kinds of media, whether we consider a particular medium to be trustworthy or untrustworthy, whether we consider it to be highbrow or lowbrow and we bring those assumptions with us and form an opinion about whoever has chosen to use that medium before we even look at the content.
In a sense, it doesn’t just matter what the content of your leaflet is; the fact that your business has chosen leaflet distribution already tells the potential customer something about your business.
So what does choosing leaflet distribution tell a potential customer about your business?
What McLuhan Said About Leaflets
Before we look at what modern data says about the public’s perception of leaflets, it might be interesting to look at what Marshall McLuhan himself said about leaflets.
Now, there is no chapter in Understanding Media about leaflets specifically, but McLuhan does have a lot to say about the printed word. Since leaflets are the marketing channel that most uses the physical printed word, it is worth examining what McLuhan believes this form communicates.
McLuhan believes that, more than anything else, the printed word communicates authority. An association that, as we shall see later, data shows continues to this day. This authority originates from some of the earliest uses of printed text being religious books and legal documents. It is difficult to imagine what could carry more implicit authority than God and the law.
Although you may not be printing laws and psalms on your leaflets, they still carry this sense of authority because this association with important texts is so deeply rooted in the mass cultural perception of printed words that can never be totally untangled.
Whatever your business does, communicating authority is important. Whether you sell products or services, potential customers want to be sure you know what you’re doing. And one way you can quickly communicate the idea of being experts in your field is by simply choosing leaflet distribution.
Your Business Is Trustworthy
But, moving past the theory, impressive and important as it may be, let’s look at what the data says about how leaflets are perceived in 2026.
Not straying too far from McLuhan’s assertion that the printed word carries an implicit sense of authority, leaflets are among the most trusted forms of advertising.
According to research conducted by Market Reach 87% of people find leaflets believable. Compare that to email advertising where only 47% of the public find marketing content sent via email believable and only a truly pathetic 20% of people who find social media advertising trustworthy. These numbers will only continue to decline as increasing use of AI means any digital advertising carries the stench of dishonesty.
Current-day researchers find the source of leaflets’ trustworthiness in the fact that leaflets come through the same letter box as authoritative, serious material such as government communications and bills.
But we know better, we know that the association between leaflets and authority goes far deeper and older back to the first days of the printing press.
You Care About The Environment
This may not seem obvious at first glance, but choosing leaflet distribution for your advertising can communicate that your business cares about its environmental impact.
While once leaflets may have been seen as a negative for the environment, thanks to print leading the pack when it comes to decarbonisation, increased rates of recycling and over 70% of UK paper coming from sustainable forests this is no longer the case.
Marco Eikelenboom, Chair of the Confederation of European paper Industries, captured this changing perception when he said “we’re no longer seen as part of the problem, but as part of the solution. For advertisers and brand owners that changes the narrative around print from legacy liability to climate-aligned opportunity”
And while it is true that print is now unquestionably a sustainable marketing choice, as we outlined in a previous blog post here, what matters for our discussion today is this changed perception.
People now associate print with sustainable, renewable, climate-conscious advertising. And by choosing to use leaflet distribution, you carry this perception over to your business as a whole.
As how environmentally friendly a company is perceived to be is increasingly becoming a factor in whether a consumer will choose to buy from that company, an easy way to create environmental credentials in the eyes of potential customers is to choose leaflet distribution.
You’re Not Afraid To Stand Out.
Choosing leaflet distribution tells your potential customers you’re not afraid to stand out from the crowd.
There is a perception that every brand is on social media, every brand is filling their inbox with hundreds of spam emails and consumers are sick of it.
But not every brand is using leaflets and just the act of choosing leaflets can help you to stand out amongst your competitors. Not only does this help you attract customers by being more memorable but it establishes that you are a company that is willing to stand out from the crowd.
According to research by Forbes, consumers value businesses that are willing to stand out and will choose these businesses over their competitors
This is particularly true among younger consumers. Gen Z prefer to buy from companies that they consider to be doing something novel, that stand out from the crowd rather than fading into the background.
Just by choosing to include leaflets as part of your marketing mix you can tell your consumers that you are a company that is willing to do something different, something exciting and this will entice them to try your business.
Authoritative, Trustworthy, Environmentally Conscious and Different
There are few figures who have been as influential in the study of media and advertising as Marshall McLuhan, so it is worth listening to him when he tells us that the medium is the message.
So, to go back to our original question, what does the medium of leaflet distribution say about your business?
It says that your business is authoritative, that you know what you’re doing and consumers should trust what you’re selling and what you say. It says that you care about the environment because you have chosen to use sustainable, environmentally conscious marketing practices. And it says that your business isn’t afraid to be different and innovate in your space.
These are all positive associations that will help customers to choose your business over your competitors.
So tell the world that you’re authoritative, trustworthy, environmentally conscious and different, book your leaflet distribution today with DOR-2-DOR.
