Advertisers in the US are moving back to print and away from digital, according to the head of major publishing business Rodale.

Quoted in the Australian Financial Review the company’s CEO Maria Rodale says that “Print is not dead by any means” and that, “Print is healthy.”

Ms Rodale says that advertisers and their agencies have been ‘infatuated’ by digital media, but are now realising that it is not the ‘panacea’ it has been made out to be.

Reported in the AFR she says, “Advertisers shifted their attention to digital in the US and thankfully it’s starting to shift back for the first time this year.” She says, “They all rushed into digital and they found out it’s not the panacea.  It’s not the same kind of quality customer and customer relationship they can develop.”

Rodale publishes major titles such as Men’s Health and Women’s Health, and has a $400m a year business, although this is down from $700m pre-GFC.