Question
Paper Calendars Endure Despite the Digital Age
Paper Calendars Endure Despite the Digital Age by Christopher Mele The New York Times December 29, 2016
1 With the year’s end comes the ritual of many households and offices: getting new appointment books, planners or calendars to hang on walls or put on desks.
2 In an age of smartphones and the Internet, you might think the days of paper calendars are numbered, but data suggest otherwise. Not only have they survived the digital revolution, but sales of some kinds of print calendars have increased.
3 The sales of appointment books and planners grew 10 percent from 2014–15 to 2015–16 to $342.7 million, and decorative and other calendars increased by 8 percent to $65 million in that time, according to figures from the NPD Group, a consumer research firm.
4 Personalization has helped make planners and appointment books popular, Leen Nsouli, an analyst of the office supplies industry at NPD, said in an email.
5 “The consumer can customize a planner to fit his or her style with accessories, colors and even color code events and activities,” she wrote. “That’s not something you can do on the standard phone calendar.”
6 Jerome Roxton, president of Tru Art Advertising Calendars in Iowa City, Iowa, said traditional calendars remain popular because they combine aesthetics with utility. Paper and digital calendars can readily coexist.
7 “What we found is it’s a question of and,” he said. “It’s not a question of or.”
8 Bertel King Jr., in a blog post last year for Make Use Of, a technology and productivity site, made the case for paper calendars, noting that he was “inundated with notifications, beeps, alerts and messages.”
9 “Having to open another tab, fire up another piece of software, or launch another app to access my calendar amounts to one more onscreen thing vying for my attention,” he wrote. “Suddenly a paper planner starts to make sense.”
10 It may seem counterintuitive that a print product can thrive in the digital age. But the continued success of some paper calendars mirrors that of printed books, an industry that several years ago was confronting what seemed like the very real possibility that e-books would outsell the printed variety. Instead, a Pew survey this fall found that most readers still preferred their reading material printed on paper.
11 Still, the popularity of some calendars—desk pads and the ones that hang on your wall—has waned.
12 The average number of printed calendars in households was 3.12 in 2011 compared with 3.98 in 1981, according to the most recent study sponsored by the Promotional Products Association International and the Calendar Advertising Council. The kitchen remained the prime display location, with 75 percent of respondents saying they had a calendar there. The average number of printed calendars per business was 2.10, down from 2.56 in 1981, according to the study.
13 A 2008 paper from Virginia Tech, called “An Exploratory Study of Personal Calendar Use,” predicted the march of electronic calendars would be swift and inevitable. “With the increased use of mobile devices, more and more calendaring tasks are performed off the desktop computer,” it said.
14 A bright spot in the industry remains promotional calendars, like those distributed by real estate agents, medical professionals, car repair shops and other businesses. As a percentage of sales of promotional products, those calendars have held steady or increased slightly from 2012 to 2015, according to industry figures.
15 Melissa Ralston, marketing director for BIC Graphic, said in an email that companies have found paper calendars to be an effective advertising vehicle with a mass market appeal.
16 She said studies have found that 82 percent of recipients enjoy getting a calendar as a complimentary gift and 70 percent plan to do business with the company that provided the calendar.
17 As for Ms. Ralston, she practices what she preaches. She said she has three calendars: a planner, a wall calendar and one on her refrigerator.
From The New York Times, December 30, 2016. © 2016 The New York Times. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this content without express written permission is prohibited. Third party trademarks Tru Art Advertising Calendars®, Make Use Of® and BIC Graphic® were used in these testing materials.
What is the author's perspective regarding paper calenders in the article "Paper Calendars Endure Despite the Digital Age"? Support your response with evidence from the text.
Paper Calendars Endure Despite the Digital Age by Christopher Mele The New York Times December 29, 2016
1 With the year’s end comes the ritual of many households and offices: getting new appointment books, planners or calendars to hang on walls or put on desks.
2 In an age of smartphones and the Internet, you might think the days of paper calendars are numbered, but data suggest otherwise. Not only have they survived the digital revolution, but sales of some kinds of print calendars have increased.
3 The sales of appointment books and planners grew 10 percent from 2014–15 to 2015–16 to $342.7 million, and decorative and other calendars increased by 8 percent to $65 million in that time, according to figures from the NPD Group, a consumer research firm.
4 Personalization has helped make planners and appointment books popular, Leen Nsouli, an analyst of the office supplies industry at NPD, said in an email.
5 “The consumer can customize a planner to fit his or her style with accessories, colors and even color code events and activities,” she wrote. “That’s not something you can do on the standard phone calendar.”
6 Jerome Roxton, president of Tru Art Advertising Calendars in Iowa City, Iowa, said traditional calendars remain popular because they combine aesthetics with utility. Paper and digital calendars can readily coexist.
7 “What we found is it’s a question of and,” he said. “It’s not a question of or.”
8 Bertel King Jr., in a blog post last year for Make Use Of, a technology and productivity site, made the case for paper calendars, noting that he was “inundated with notifications, beeps, alerts and messages.”
9 “Having to open another tab, fire up another piece of software, or launch another app to access my calendar amounts to one more onscreen thing vying for my attention,” he wrote. “Suddenly a paper planner starts to make sense.”
10 It may seem counterintuitive that a print product can thrive in the digital age. But the continued success of some paper calendars mirrors that of printed books, an industry that several years ago was confronting what seemed like the very real possibility that e-books would outsell the printed variety. Instead, a Pew survey this fall found that most readers still preferred their reading material printed on paper.
11 Still, the popularity of some calendars—desk pads and the ones that hang on your wall—has waned.
12 The average number of printed calendars in households was 3.12 in 2011 compared with 3.98 in 1981, according to the most recent study sponsored by the Promotional Products Association International and the Calendar Advertising Council. The kitchen remained the prime display location, with 75 percent of respondents saying they had a calendar there. The average number of printed calendars per business was 2.10, down from 2.56 in 1981, according to the study.
13 A 2008 paper from Virginia Tech, called “An Exploratory Study of Personal Calendar Use,” predicted the march of electronic calendars would be swift and inevitable. “With the increased use of mobile devices, more and more calendaring tasks are performed off the desktop computer,” it said.
14 A bright spot in the industry remains promotional calendars, like those distributed by real estate agents, medical professionals, car repair shops and other businesses. As a percentage of sales of promotional products, those calendars have held steady or increased slightly from 2012 to 2015, according to industry figures.
15 Melissa Ralston, marketing director for BIC Graphic, said in an email that companies have found paper calendars to be an effective advertising vehicle with a mass market appeal.
16 She said studies have found that 82 percent of recipients enjoy getting a calendar as a complimentary gift and 70 percent plan to do business with the company that provided the calendar.
17 As for Ms. Ralston, she practices what she preaches. She said she has three calendars: a planner, a wall calendar and one on her refrigerator.
From The New York Times, December 30, 2016. © 2016 The New York Times. All rights reserved. Used by permission and protected by the copyright laws of the United States. The printing, copying, redistribution, or retransmission of this content without express written permission is prohibited. Third party trademarks Tru Art Advertising Calendars®, Make Use Of® and BIC Graphic® were used in these testing materials.
What is the author's perspective regarding paper calenders in the article "Paper Calendars Endure Despite the Digital Age"? Support your response with evidence from the text.
Answers
GPT-4o mini
The author's perspective regarding paper calendars in the article "Paper Calendars Endure Despite the Digital Age" is one of optimism and recognition of their enduring appeal despite the rise of digital alternatives. The author presents a case that paper calendars continue to thrive and even see growth in certain sectors, highlighting that they coexist with digital calendars rather than being replaced by them.
Evidence supporting this perspective includes:
1. **Sales Growth**: The article notes that sales of appointment books and planners grew by 10 percent and sales of decorative calendars increased by 8 percent from 2014–15 to 2015–16, indicating a robust interest in paper calendars (paragraphs 3).
2. **Personalization Appeal**: The author mentions that personalizing planners allows consumers to customize their experience in ways that digital calendars cannot match, as highlighted by Leen Nsouli's comments about the ability to use accessories and color-coding (paragraphs 4-5).
3. **Aesthetic Value**: Jerome Roxton emphasizes that traditional calendars are valued for their aesthetic appeal and utility, suggesting that people appreciate having a tangible product that contributes to their environment (paragraph 6).
4. **Counteracting Digital Overload**: Bertel King Jr. expresses how the barrage of digital notifications makes the simplicity of a paper planner appealing. This sentiment reflects a broader trend where individuals are seeking less screen time and more tactile experiences (paragraph 8-9).
5. **Similarities to Print Books**: The author draws a parallel between the continued relevance of paper calendars and printed books, citing a Pew survey that found most readers still prefer physical books, perhaps indicating a broader cultural preference for print (paragraph 10).
6. **Promotional Use**: The article also discusses how promotional calendars have remained popular among businesses, with many recipients enjoying them as gifts and stating their intent to do business with the companies that provide them (paragraphs 14-16). This illustrates a practical use that reinforces the relevance of paper calendars in a marketing context.
Overall, the author conveys a multifaceted view that appreciates the resilience of paper calendars and acknowledges their unique advantages, ultimately framing them as valuable tools in the contemporary landscape, despite the dominance of digital solutions.
Evidence supporting this perspective includes:
1. **Sales Growth**: The article notes that sales of appointment books and planners grew by 10 percent and sales of decorative calendars increased by 8 percent from 2014–15 to 2015–16, indicating a robust interest in paper calendars (paragraphs 3).
2. **Personalization Appeal**: The author mentions that personalizing planners allows consumers to customize their experience in ways that digital calendars cannot match, as highlighted by Leen Nsouli's comments about the ability to use accessories and color-coding (paragraphs 4-5).
3. **Aesthetic Value**: Jerome Roxton emphasizes that traditional calendars are valued for their aesthetic appeal and utility, suggesting that people appreciate having a tangible product that contributes to their environment (paragraph 6).
4. **Counteracting Digital Overload**: Bertel King Jr. expresses how the barrage of digital notifications makes the simplicity of a paper planner appealing. This sentiment reflects a broader trend where individuals are seeking less screen time and more tactile experiences (paragraph 8-9).
5. **Similarities to Print Books**: The author draws a parallel between the continued relevance of paper calendars and printed books, citing a Pew survey that found most readers still prefer physical books, perhaps indicating a broader cultural preference for print (paragraph 10).
6. **Promotional Use**: The article also discusses how promotional calendars have remained popular among businesses, with many recipients enjoying them as gifts and stating their intent to do business with the companies that provide them (paragraphs 14-16). This illustrates a practical use that reinforces the relevance of paper calendars in a marketing context.
Overall, the author conveys a multifaceted view that appreciates the resilience of paper calendars and acknowledges their unique advantages, ultimately framing them as valuable tools in the contemporary landscape, despite the dominance of digital solutions.