Page 160 - Duct Tape Marketing

144 Part III: Creating and Placing Ads

ߜ A jam-packed environment: Although many newspapers are stringent
about maintaining a positive balance of news over ads, still the pages
are filled with headlines, stories, photos, and ads. All these elements
contribute to visual “clutter” and compete for the reader’s attention.
Generally the largest and best-designed ads win.

Magazines

Most magazines fit into two categories:

ߜ General interest magazines: Consumer magazines or glossies (so called
because of their shiny, high-grade paper and premium-quality printing)
dominate most newsstands. Their readers share specific interests, such
as travel, cooking, sports, fitness, fashion, celebrity lifestyles, home dec-
orating, world affairs, and on and on.

ߜ Trade magazines: These publications are also called business to business
(B2B) and vertical magazines (because they reach vertical versus broad
or horizontal markets). They’re read primarily by people in targeted
industries and services.

Here are some advantages of advertising in magazines:

ߜ Targeted readership: You can reach people with defined interests.

ߜ Engaged readers: Magazine readers generally dedicate time to read the
contents carefully.

ߜ Credibility: Readers tend to associate the credibility of the advertiser
with the credibility of the publication.

ߜ Targeted editions: Many magazines allow an advertiser to place ads in
issues that reach only a select portion of the magazine’s full distribution.

Inquire about regional zones that reach only northwest, southwest, or
central states, for example. Some magazines even allow the purchase of
select metropolitan areas, whereas others bind editions for particular
professional subscriber groups.

ߜ Classified or directory ad sections: For advertisers who can’t afford to
buy or create magazine display ads, many magazines offer classified ad
and directory ad sections at a dramatically lower placement rate.

ߜ Merchandising materials: Ask about complementary easel-back display
cards featuring your ad, provided by many magazines as added-value
enhancements to advertisers.

Many small businesses place an ad in a major magazine only a few times,
and then they leverage their investment by displaying the merchandis-
ing materials long after the magazine is out of date.

ߜ High-quality printing: Magazines can deliver superb color and photo
reproduction of your ad, plus they offer a range of creative opportunities