Return of Touch: Heidi Waldusky on Experiential Marketing and the Future of Print

1. As Gen Z and Millennials value multi-sensory engagement, how are you integrating touch, serendipity, and discovery into in-store or experiential strategies for Quad and its clients?

As a brand marketer, there’s no doubt that this research is making me reimagine how Quad shows up in physical spaces as a B2B marketing solutions company. After all, some of the marketers we’re trying to reach are Gen Z and Millennials, too. For my peers aiming to connect with consumers, our research is a reminder that even as we all march endlessly toward innovation, the people we’re trying to reach are human, with a real psychological need to feel more connected to the environments they’re in. The good news is there’s no singular answer here, and that leaves room for play—the very best part of our job.

2. How should marketers be rethinking content creation and delivery to ensure printed materials reinforce brand authenticity and drive real-world engagement?

While physical media might be decidedly analog, it still requires the right data, and more importantly, insights, to make sure it hits the mark—we ourselves continuously revalidate over 3 million data points on households. Print shouldn’t be treated as merely an add-on but rather a well-thought-out part of an audience strategy that’s proven to work.

It’s no secret Quad has always been bullish on print, but this research wasn’t an exercise in proving ourselves right—it’s about helping marketers take advantage of what The Harris Poll is seeing as a true cultural shift from digital domination to a more nuanced omnichannel approach.

3. Should brands capitalize on pop-up formats, event-based activations, or flagship experiences that turn brand presence into cultural moments?

I would offer a slightly different take. Brands aren’t just here to sell into or hijack culture; they’re made of it. The best brands are already in the mix, blending storytelling with real-world interaction. It helps to consider not just where your audience is physically, but when they’re most emotionally open. That requires timing, intention and staying attuned to both consumer behavior and cultural behavior. One tells you what people do, the other tells you what they believe.

But let’s remember: Not every brand moment needs to be a movement. We all know that when brands try too hard to manufacture cultural significance, it comes off as performative. Real resonance happens when you meet the moment, not when you force it.

4. What strategies ensure that offline interactions (e.g., store visits, mailed catalogs) seamlessly connect with follow-up actions online, such as remarketing or personalized outreach?

Offline is no longer off-the-grid. Every piece of print, every in-store moment, is now a data-enabled touchpoint that can kickstart or complement a digital journey. Through things like variable-data printing, Flowcode integrations, and real-time tracking, we can treat print as a signal, not a silo.

For example, a personalized mailer can prompt a landing page visit, which feeds back into your audience model and informs follow-up messaging. It's more than connecting channels—it’s about creating a frictionless conversation across them. Done right, a catalog isn't the campaign's last mile; it’s the opening act.

5. What structural or cultural shifts are necessary for marketers to prioritize long-term “Return on Touch” over short-term digital KPIs?

Structurally, marketers need to ensure their entire ecosystem is working together—that action begets action between any combination of touchpoints—online or offline. At the same time, adjusting complex marketing plans isn’t for the faint of heart. While marketers are prone to outsourcing help in disjointed ways, the complexity of our jobs requires nothing-less-than-seamless integration. A myriad of niche agencies won’t cut it anymore—marketers need true consultative partners that can help maximize every dollar from ideation and strategy through execution and production.  

That said, short-term KPIs aren’t just for digital. Physical tactics can have fast returns, too. For example, pre-market testing solutions can help you determine the effectiveness of print or packaging before you spend a penny on production, This is just one way we can project expected outcomes, showing that physical marketing doesn't have to be a black box—with proper testing and measurement frameworks, we can quantify ROI across every touchpoint.

6. In an age where digital convenience is no longer enough, how are IRL experiences a competitive differentiator?

Convenience used to be the differentiator and now it's the expectation. For our industry, we see real-world experiences and physical media as the new edge because they create what digital doesn’t: true presence. Holding something, walking through a space, noticing the details—these are sensory cues that spark memory and build brand intimacy. That’s not nostalgia. That’s neuroscience. The brands who listen will be the ones who come out on top.