In a world where headlines vanish in seconds and cat videos outpace causes, something surprising is happening: People are craving what lasts. They want connection – not clicks.
Algorithms may know your habits, but they don’t know your neighborhood. They won’t tell you who’s organizing the next river cleanup, which local merchant just opened their doors, or how a small nonprofit is quietly changing lives on your street. Those aren’t trending topics – but they’re the stories shaping our city. And they deserve to be told.
For 18 years, The Resident has been delivering those stories – right into the hands of 30,000 households across Jacksonville’s most vibrant neighborhoods, informing our readership on everything from city legislation to real estate development, while also providing a critical platform for local businesses to reach new and loyal clients. In Jacksonville’s thriving philanthropic community, The Resident also tells the stories of nonprofits doing life-changing work.
“DESC’s advertising publicity in The Resident supports trusted local journalism and connects us to a compassionate community where our mission to serve people in poverty can thrive,” said David Clark, Downtown Ecumenical Services Council executive director. “We’re proud to be supported by donors and volunteers who live in the neighborhoods The Resident represents and care about staying connected. We’re also grateful for the coverage The Resident provides, helping share our mission and reach more people with stories that matter.”
Our hyperlocal coverage allows us to dive into the issues and events that matter most to our readership while connecting directly with the heartbeat of the community: small businesses.
“Supporting The Resident goes beyond advertising; it’s an investment in local journalism and community connection,” said Dori Thomsen, Soluna Yoga and Spa founder. “We love the power of print, holding an actual newspaper and flipping through the pages. We genuinely look forward to each issue every month. It’s a trusted, feel-good publication that supports local businesses, including ours, and we’re proud to be part of it.”
Retaining the Message
Despite the dominance of digital media, print continues to hold an edge when it comes to retention, focus, and emotional connection. Our brains learn through sensory experiences. Neurologically, reading print stimulates deeper processing than digital text.
“As adult readers, the sensory experiences are just as important, so really, you could justify that it’s much more ‘healthful’ to offer print as an alternative to digital,” said Susan Masucci, principal at Ruckus, a nationally-recognized advertising agency based in San Marco.
Studies by the American Educational Research Association found that reading comprehension improves with printed materials. One survey showed that 92% of participants found it easier to concentrate while reading print.
Mariana A. Kallivayalil, owner of The Beehive Foundry, a boutique marketing consulting firm, agrees. “Print offers more longevity to a client’s message compared to digital consumption,” she said. “This is true both for time spent initially experiencing the material and in the likelihood of returning to the message. In a one-click, delete world, there is something refreshing about information that lingers.”
Masucci adds, “Knowing that you have people’s focused attention when they are participating in a print medium – no distractions or flashes coming from the newspaper itself – offers a more unique experience than the scroll, link-off, distraction of digital.”
Print remains essential across all formats: newsletters, direct mail, annual reports, catalogs, magazines, and, yes, local newspapers.
Right There in Black and White
Kendra McCrary, two-term immediate past president of the Woman’s Board of Wolfson Children’s Hospital, understands the value of a tangible message. “Emails are being trashed faster than ever or forgotten,” she said. “I hear from members all the time, ‘I got the newsletter. I love the pictures.’”
The ability to tell visual stories more dynamically is another edge print holds over digital. “In our printed newsletter, we have more freedom with the layout. Instead of the small, singular images you would see online, we have a collage of images that tell a story,” said McCrary. “People consume print differently.”
Printed materials are also kept, saved, clipped, and remembered – giving them a longer shelf life than a post or email blast. “There is a permanence and perhaps perceived greater importance on information we see and obtain from print vs. digital,” said Masucci.
Kallivayalil notes that print also conveys professionalism and trust. “For certain communications, especially in education and public service, print is more appropriate. It reinforces credibility and formality, which is essential when stakeholders are evaluating reliability and excellence.”
Even in high-end sales environments, like luxury boats, the lack of printed materials can become a barrier. One attendee at the recent Jacksonville Boat Show remarked that QR codes had replaced brochures – but buyers still wanted something to hold. Print evokes nostalgia, deepens emotional connections, and improves response rates when paired with digital marketing.
The Best of Both Worlds
Renay Daigle, principal partner at Daigle Creative, sees lasting value in combining digital and print for maximum effectiveness. “Print advertising – especially in hyper-local neighborhood publications – is a great way to reach adults 35-plus and businesspeople who not only enjoy reading about their area but are loyal about doing so regularly,” she said.
Digital brings immediacy and motion. Print brings focus and credibility. “Rather than choose one or the other, we suggest clients leverage print and digital in support of each other and carefully select a medium based on the specific message being conveyed,” said Kallivayalil.
Supporting Print Means Supporting Local Journalism
At The Resident, we see the power of print firsthand. Our issues are read cover to cover by highly engaged locals, and the results show up in action. Readers clip, call, donate, show up, and get involved – because they saw it here.
Want to support a local nonprofit and local journalism at the same time? Buy an ad for your favorite charity or business and witness the multiplier effect. Your ad lands in 30,000 households. Eighteen people might donate. Twenty-five might volunteer. That’s real reach. That’s real ROI.
When you support print, you’re not just preserving a medium. You’re choosing connection over algorithms, depth over distraction, and a stronger community over the noise of the feed.
And that’s something worth printing.
