The Advertiser Relationship: magazines' effectiveness as an advertising medium

In this section

13. How readers use magazine advertisements
  Effect of interest in product field or brand
14. Advertisement noting
  What ad noting measures, and its limitations
  Indices of ad noting, by size, colour and other factors
  Ad clutter is not a problem in magazines
  Eyes open in front of page: the real measure of audience to ads
15. Advertisers benefit from the reader-magazine relationship
  How it works
  Advertising: essential and enjoyable
  Women’s style/feature monthlies
  Women’s domestic monthlies
  Women’s weeklies
  Television weeklies
16. The ‘presenter effect’
17. Targeting is a key strength of magazines
18. Creative executions to match the magazine
19. Creative formats: impact and interaction
  Double page spreads
  Gatefolds
  Print technology, textures and special papers
  Samples, vouchers and gifts
  Sponsorship and supplements
  Advertisement features (‘advertorials’)
  Samples, inserts & booklets: further evidence
  Inserts not linked to an ad
20. Action as a result of seeing magazine ads
21. Pre-testing the magazine ad creative work
  The need for pre-testing
  Initial guidelines for creating effective magazine ads

Summary

• The intimacy between reader and magazine benefits advertisers. The magazine environment delivers a reader in the right frame of mind to be receptive to the advertising. In the sympathetic context of the right magazine, the strong positive brand values of the magazine can transfer onto the advertisements.
• The stronger the reader’s affiliation with the magazine as a brand, the higher the level of endorsement that the advertising receives from the magazine’s personality.
• Advertising is seen as an integral part of magazines. Relevant advertising is valued by readers, and is consumed with interest. Readers screen advertisements in much the same way as they screen the editorial - looking for items that interest, intrigue, catch the eye, entertain, inform.
• Because advertisements are relevant and valued, ad clutter is not a problem in magazines. Clutter does not depress reading of ads, and may create a marketplace.
• Readers take action as a result of seeing advertising in magazines.
• Targeting with precision and without wastage is a key strength of magazines.
• The communication can be enhanced by using different creative executions in different types of magazine - targeting through the creative work as well as through selecting the appropriate audience.
• Creative formats such as gatefolds, textures, special papers, samples, sponsorship, advertisement features (‘advertorials’), and so on can create additional impact and interaction.
• The ‘presenter effect’ means that the interpretation of a given advertisement can be influenced by the specific publication in which it appears.
• It is wise to pre-test the creative executions in order to ensure that they take maximum advantage of this active involvement in advertisements, and that they communicate the intended messages.