Creative formats: impact and interaction

In addition to standard display advertising, there are opportunities for using other creative formats within magazines. Their ability to heighten impact and interaction was described in the most comprehensive research to have investigated this area - a 2003 qualitative study called “Creative Format, Premium Impact”. It was commissioned by PPA and conducted by Rachel Lawes of Lawes Consulting [61]. Conclusions were drawn about a range of formats.

Double page spreads

Double page spreads are more than just bigger spaces. They present a chance to talk to readers on their own without distraction, and to create a world of their own. The wide rectangular space is excellent for telling a story, including ads with a strong fantasy or aspirational element. The content of the ad is seen as a bit special simply because of format.

Gatefolds

Gatefolds – where the page opens out and reveals two further pages beneath – take this a stage further. Their physical nature makes them demand reader attention and interaction. The additional width makes this a particularly good way of getting across a story or narrative. One effective manner of presentation is to place the ‘hero’ brand in the centre, flanking it on each side with supporting material; this draws on echoes of the traditional triptych format familiar in Western culture and associated with reverence. Butterfly gatefolds – spreads where both pages are themselves gatefolds – take the surprise element further, intriguing readers.

Print technology, textures and special papers

“Contemporary print and paper technology is the modern art of magazines” declared Rachel Lawes. It is exciting, unpredictable and effective for engaging audiences. Artists are using textures, optical illusions and objects in their work to make their point or elicit reaction – presenting advertisers and creatives with a wealth of ideas to develop for their own use.

Sensory experience is enhanced by using unexpected materials. Formats incorporating thermachromatic (causing images to change with heat) or lenticular (where the image appears to move) elements are two examples. Different weights, qualities and textures of paper; embossing; die cutting and unusual trimmed pages; scratch ‘n’ sniff or ‘peel it’ fragrances; 3-D specs with which to view a 3-D advertisement; and other forms of paper engineering – the research confirmed that these are all effective ways of delivering impact and encouraging readers to interact with the ads. They present something tactile that readers feel they just have to touch and explore. Post-it notes are arresting when they crop up in unexpected places such as attached to an advertisement: because of the way people normally use them in their everyday lives, they say to the reader “This is something I must remember”.

Samples, vouchers and gifts

Samples, vouchers and gifts draw the reader closer to the advertiser. Samples have the advantage over vouchers that the gratification is immediate. Gifts are warmly received and were found to enhance the reader’s perception of both the advertiser and the magazine. However they must be appropriate – for the reader and the magazine. This means making a gift as personal, flattering and meaningful as possible, rather than something that could have been chosen for anybody. (More information about samples is given below.)

Sponsorship and supplements

Sponsorship implies endorsement of the advertiser by the magazine – whether the sponsored item is a page of the magazine, a pull-out supplement, a separate supplement, or any other element of the editorial package. The phrase ‘sponsored by’ suggests something of editorial origin, subsequently supported by the advertiser, whereas the phrase ‘in association with’ suggests a more equal partnership between editor and advertiser. A particularly close approach to readers can be made by sponsoring a regular feature in the magazine. It makes the brand seem an integral part of the publication, tapping more deeply into the reader’s relationship with the magazine, and naturalising the brand’s presence.

Advertisement features (‘advertorials’)

Advertisement features, or ‘advertorials’, which are written in the house style of the host magazine, enable the advertiser to don the mantle and sport the values of the magazine. Rachel Lawes described how this intimacy brings added credibility to the brand, while readers appreciate the extra material for them to read. The objective should not be to trick readers into thinking it is an editorial feature – they are unlikely to be fooled for long and will resent being misled – but to let them understand this is an advertiser-related feature which offers extra value via information and/or entertainment.

In addition to the “Creative Format, Premium Impact” research, other studies have investigated advertisement features. One was “Advertisement Promotions: The Readers’ Perspective”, a qualitative study by The Research Business for the National Magazine Company [14]. Readers of eight of National Magazines’ titles were interviewed. After establishing that readers believed conventional advertisements in magazines can be informative and entertaining, and are seen as essential to the magazine, particularly when executed well, the results went on to show that advertorials are welcomed because of their originality and unique qualities. They are considered ‘added value’ advertising. One informant expressed it by saying “There’s something extra there to read, and you feel you’re getting a little bit more”.

Advertorials encourage readers take a closer look at a product. The National Magazines research found that while a reader normally immediately recognises that an advertorial is a promotion and not a page of editorial, the reaction is likely to be:

1. This is an article or feature about Product X.
2. The editorial approach and layout are interesting (after all, it’s the same as the one I love throughout the magazine’s editorial pages).
3. It’s an exclusive.
4. This offers a reward to me.
5. I will read it, or at least scan it.

One reader said “Although it is an advert it looks like it could be an interesting article”.

While display advertising is seen as providing subjective information which is under the control of the advertiser, and editorial is seen as unbiased information under the control of the editor, advertorials fit neatly in between. They are under the joint control of the advertiser and the editor. The editor is there to represent the interests of the reader and ensure fair play. There is a strong implied endorsement by the magazine. One respondent declared “It says ‘an Esquire promotion’ so it looks as though Esquire are endorsing the product and that in my eyes gives it extra value.”

This endorsement by the magazine was also a prime finding from a survey for SouthBank Publishing Group called “Advertorials: Qualitative Research” [62]. The readers assume the editor has been involved in the selection of the product shown in the advertisement feature, and this implies researching the products and choosing the one that’s best for readers. The more closely the advertorial matches the magazine’s own style the stronger the assumption that the editor has written it, and thus the stronger the endorsement. The magazine’s own brand values feed into the advertorial, and they in turn feed into the readers’ perception of the product. Advertorials are perceived as generally useful and informative, which encourages an overall positive feeling about them among readers.

Samples, booklets & inserts linked to ads: further evidence

Rachel Lawes’ conclusions about samples have been complemented by other evidence. One is an analysis by Belgium’s Medialogue in their “Stop/watch” ad barometer research [49]. It measured advertisement noting/recognition (see section 14 on this topic) for advertisements carrying samples, inserts and booklets.

Compared with standard flat advertisements, the addition of inserts to an advertisement (stuck onto it, or in a blister, or loose) raised average ad noting by 12%, while reply cards or booklets raised it by about a fifth. Most impressive however was the effect of samples, where ad noting was boosted by 41%.

Nevertheless the benefits of samples go well beyond mere recalling of the ad. Medialogue commissioned a qualitative study in 2002 called “The Samples Research” [63] which dealt with cosmetics advertisers in women’s magazines. It showed that samples were appreciated by women, who considered them a natural thing for magazines to carry. Free samples are part of the fun of a magazine. They create goodwill and readers are keen to try them.

The power of sampling was proved in a 2004 study in the UK. IPC Innovator (part of IPC Media) and the consultancy Sampling Innovations commissioned research among readers of Marie Claire magazine [64]. 1,000 readers of Marie Claire were interviewed over the telephone by research agency The Wire, to compare readers who had been exposed to an advertisement that included a sachet containing a beauty product, and those who had instead seen an ad for the same advertiser which did not include a sachet. It was found that among those seeing the issue containing the ad with the sachet:

• Awareness of the ad increased by 42% (almost identical to the 41% in Medialogue’s “Stop/watch” research)
• Likelihood of purchasing the product increased by 56%
• 64% of readers had removed the sachet
• 80% of these had used the product inside (i.e. 51% of all readers had used the sample)

Inserts not linked to an ad

Inserts which are linked to an advertisement in the issue are quite different from loose inserts which have no link with anything in the issue. In 2003 the Direct Marketing Association commissioned The Future Foundation to carry out qualitative research to investigate consumer perceptions of inserts [65].

Loose inserts are perceived as an independent advertising medium, and do not benefit from implied endorsement by the host magazine. While there are obviously many negative attitudes to inserts - centred mainly around irrelevance, being unasked-for, and questions of trust concerning the advertisers - there are also some positives. Inserts are a familiar and accepted part of the media landscape, expected as part of the deal that consumers get when they buy magazines and newspapers. Most people have responded to inserts at some time.

Relevance to the reader is naturally a key factor in getting attention. Successful inserts are creative and attention-grabbing, their content and offer is quickly made explicit and clear, they are presented in an engaging way, and they work to establish the advertiser’s credentials as a trustworthy company. The more the proposition is in tune with the host magazine’s editorial content, the more likely that close attention will be given because of an expectation that the insert may be personally relevant. For this reason respondents were most positive about inserts in specialist interest magazines. Inserts in the form of a catalogue or mini magazine tended to be given more attention, as did promotions and special offers.

Inserts tended to be liked more than postal direct mail and door-drops which were seen as more intrusive and something of a personal affront. Attitudes to inserts were also better than to SMS campaigns. As one respondent remarked, “a text message is a bit more intrusive”. Something unwanted coming through your letterbox or on your mobile phone is more of a violation of your privacy than a loose insert in a magazine which you have chosen to buy or read.