Page 181 - Duct Tape Marketing

165Chapter 11: Creating Print Ads

ߜ Aim to dominate the page. Even partial-page ads can have a page-
dominating effect. Span the width of the page with a 1⁄3-page horizontal
ad. Or run a half-page vertical ad, which echoes the shape of a full-page
ad and dominates the page as a result. Long, skinny one-column ads that
run all the way down the page also draw attention, especially if they’re
placed along the outer-edge of the paper.

ߜ If you’re not the biggest, be the most consistent. Ask your newspaper
representative about a Top-of-Mind Awareness (TOMA) program that
offers outrageous discounts in return for the commitment to run your
ad — however tiny — several times a week, 52 weeks a year.

Requesting your ad placement

Right-hand page, as far forward as possible is repeated like a mantra by print
advertisers. But there’s no solid proof that an ad on the right page of an open
publication does any better than one on the left page, and the same can be
said for other hallowed rules about ad placement. In fact, research shows
that newspaper ads placed above the fold pull no more readers than those
placed below the fold, and ads next to editorial content pull the same as
those next to other ads. It depends on the ad — not on the placement.

Have you created an ad that will draw attention regardless of where it
appears in the paper?

Once you know you have a strong ad, then decide whether you will reach
your prospects if your ad runs anywhere in the paper (called a run of paper
or ROP placement) or whether you need to request — and possibly pay extra
for — a preferred position. The following advice will help you make your
placement decisions:

ߜ Make an “if possible” request with your ROP ad placement. Most
papers do their best to honor reasonable placement requests with ROP
orders — at no extra charge, but on a space-available basis. Ask for
placement in the front section, sports section, business section, or any
other preference. But be willing to settle for what you paid for — which
is placement anywhere in the paper. Most readers flip through nearly all
the paper on a daily basis, and that’s why most advertisers are confident
rolling the dice with ROP ads.

ߜ Ask about special rates for display ads placed in the real estate section
and the classified section, as well as in special interest supplements that
target your specific market.

ߜ If your ad has a coupon, tell your ad representative in advance so it can
be placed on an outer edge of the page for easy clipping and also so it
won’t be positioned against another coupon on the flip side of the page.