Sold on APN

You’re about to spend your hard earned money (or fiercely fought-for budget) running a print ad. So how do you ensure you’re not wasting it with an ad that goes unnoticed or communicates the wrong message? Below are a few things to consider that will help you get better impact, more meaning and greater value for your advertising dollar.

Consider the environment

Newspapers offer an important, urgent, up-to-the-minute environment and are a great place to communicate topical messages, short-life promotions or big-newsy announcements. Accordingly, good newspaper advertising should be compelling, in-your-face and persuasive. The need to grab a readers attention is paramount.

To give you a head start planning topical ads, we’ve put together a calendar of all the upcoming newsworthy stories and events from February to April 2011. It includes events, anniversaries and those ‘all-popular’ hallmark days – there’s bound to be something you can leverage your brand with! Check it out here.

Magazines draw people in and people often have a relationship with their preferred magazine. Think of the mental space that the publication owns. For example the NZ Listener is thought provoking, stimulating – even challenging. The NZ Woman’s Weekly is unashamedly female and is more about indulgence and escapism – ‘my time’. Crème is young, frothy, friendly – ‘a girl’s best friend’. Consider tailoring your message to suit not only the tone and tenor of the publication but the headspace and level of involvement of the person reading it.

Stop the reader

For your ad to work it must be able to grab the reader’s attention – your ad has between 5-10 seconds to “jump off the page” before a reader’s eye settles on a specific part of the page to read.

Be a sales person

Quickly outline the benefits – advertising acts in the same way a sales person should. Tell potential customers quickly what the product will do for them and how it will enhance their lives.

Create a sense of urgency

A good retail ad has a strong sense of urgency – ideally you want a reader to act upon your ad as soon as possible, whilst it is fresh in their mind.

Consistency

Build your brand within an ad – make sure a reader can tell immediately who you are. The more times they see your branding the greater awareness they will have for your product.

Keep it simple

No matter how much you’ve got to say in your ad, the best advice is to keep it simple. The more you’ve got to say the more critical the layout of the ad is to achieve clear communication. Some ads benefit from having lots of information – a store for example with a sale across lots of different lines – but the key to success is that it is clear who the advertisers are and where their stores are.

Don’t be afraid of white space

White, or blank space, can be a powerful tool in advertising. Try holding a newspaper page a couple of feet away – what do you notice? Parts of the page that stand out the most are those that are uncluttered and have white space. White space on a sea of black print draws the eye to the space, and increases the chance of your ads getting read.

Know whom you’re talking to

You wouldn’t speak to your grandmother the same way you’d speak to a friend. The same is true of your advertising. Consider your audience and decide whom you’re writing for and why. What tone are you trying to convey? Lighthearted? Serious? What level of jargon are you going to employ? Tailor your language to your intended audience.

What are the others saying?

Keep an eye on your competitors’ ads. Are they saying the same thing as you? If they are, think about how you can differentiate yourself with either your message, look or tone of voice.

Don’t just sell the product, sell the experience

Make a list of all of the good things about your brand or product, and then try refining this into a key benefit for the consumer. For example, you’re not selling a fridge; you’re keeping the wine chilled. You’re not pushing a soft drink; you’re enhancing a social occasion. It’s not a pimple cream; it’s confidence.

Speak in the voice of your brand

Every brand has a tone of voice. Take for example Gregg’s and Nescafe. Greggs’ advertising is unashamedly Kiwi and the advertising reflects this. Nescafe communicates with a much more European take. They are essentially the same product, but both speak in a tone of voice appropriate to their message. What is your voice?

Become an attention seeker

An ad is not the place to be humble. Demand attention. People are short on time and overloaded with information so they skim read. If your ad doesn’t get their attention at first glance everything else is academic. Base your headline around your key message or benefit then play with it to make it more unexpected or surprising. What’s the best way to say what you want to?

Use the environment

‘Fish where the fish are’ is an old but apt saying. Think of the various sections of the publication and place your ad in one that is relevant to whatever it is you’re advertising. An obvious example would be to run an ad for a food product in VIVA or the cooking section. Less obviously you could run an ad for an energy drink on the crossword page, or an ad for a diet product on the social pages. If your ad is in a relevant position it will work harder.

Own the page

Think about using blank space in your ad to help it stand out from the busy page. Just because you’ve paid for the space don’t feel compelled to fill every last centimetre. You should also use colour, design and typography to ‘own’ the ad. Be bold and distinctive – you are competing not just with other ads but also with every image and piece of design in the publication.

Whatever approach you take with your advertising, remember that the best way to get good at creating ads is to create ads. Keep going after your first attempt. Try a different angle or look. Say the same thing in as many ways as you can and pick the one that resonates with you. Look at advertising. The stuff you love and the stuff you hate. The ads you think work and the ones that don’t. Then ask yourself why. Your own advertising will be better because of it.

 For examples of creative ads check out soldonapn’s Gallery of Ads.