The Case of Moleskines: Old-School is Still In

The below article was written by Celine Wu, the Audience Development Executive for PR Newswire.

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With the advent of online notebooks and word processors amongst various other digital solutions, one wonders if old-school traditions remain relevant in The Internet of Everything era. Surprisingly, the answer is yes. The consistent double-digit sale growth of the Moleskine proves the relevancy of traditional tools. Their success lies at the core of their brand; the Moleskine has evolved. The analog now has a digital strategy that has aided its exponential growth, such as the brand’s new app, “Timepage” that syncs online calendars into one interface, or its newly-launched “Moleskine Smart Notebook”, that will sync what’s on physical paper digitally into Adobe Photoshop.

The cult following of the Moleskine and other paper notebooks such as the viral Passion Planner over online solutions proves its purpose resonates still with consumers, that it’s more than mere nostalgia for the past. People still prefer substantiating their thoughts and ideas into tangible form on paper. Thus, tellingly, it’s the tandem growth together of digital and analog that is the resilient trend. This savvy bridging of physical and digital worlds is the next big trend and will continue to engage audiences, as seen with the Internet of Things and 3D printing. The lessons learned in the case of the Moleskine can be carried over to press releases, another “dusty relic” that has some skeptical of its relevancy.

Despite critics, the majority of both PR professionals and journalists still insist on the importance press releases and newswires as a communication channel. Much like those who use Moleskines as a way to synthesize their thoughts, PR professionals still use press releases as an important means of corporate communication, whether as an official statement verifying facts and direction of the company, or demonstrating thought leadership. In fact, while journalists are slowly turning to social media for story ideas, reliability is a major concern and still depend on PR professionals for primary research and context.

The trick then, is to evolve digitally. Take Chevy’s emoji press release. As analyzed in our previous blog post, this release had the elements to optimize your press release, capturing the attention of your digitally-native audiences. Firstly, it was creative and fun, writing specifically for the texting-savvy generation. Secondly, they included multimedia, and thirdly, the release invited engagement by including the vital call to action with Chevy’s social media channels.

Therefore, even as tech geeks have apps and journalists have social media and alternative channels, the tandem growth of the Moleskine along with Apple, as well as press releases along with social media, have proven that integration of new-school and old-school is the more sustainable strategy to adopt.