Recent research by PPA has underlined the importance of weekly weight in magazines [see Planning Uncovered]. The average magazine campaign appears to run at a weight of just 8 GRPs per week leading one commentator to conclude;

“…. short-term scheduling issues (intensity and reach levels) are critical determinants of advertising effectiveness. Media scheduling practice may be more the cause of any magazine effectiveness weaknesses than any reason of consumer response”
John Billett 2005

PPA has demonstrated that this delivery of weight can be managed on a weekly basis to ensure that sufficient coverage of a target market is delivered in any given week [see Planning Uncovered appendix].

The question remains – how much weight is sufficient?

The short answer is it depends – on target audience, creative execution, product category etc. However PPA has attempted to provide a consensual view of ‘sufficient’ to aid planners in their approach to magazines.

Erwin Ephron
“…. since the first exposure is most cost-effective, if we can reach a large number of consumers without piling-up second and third exposures, we can use the frequency-money to advertise for more weeks, to reach more consumers who are ready to buy in those weeks.…………
The caveat is we need to do this while maintaining a weekly reach of 35% to 40%, a monthly reach of 65% to 70% and a quarterly reach of 80% to 85%, so we talk to enough people to have a measurable effect on brand sales.”
‘The Shelf Space Model of Advertising’ – Erwin Ephron (www.ephrononmedia.com)

“Using the highest “sum of weekly reaches” as a planning goal, results in schedules of moderate GRP weight and more weeks of advertising.
There is a complication in the need for a reach threshold. A minimum target reach of 30 to 35 seems necessary for the advertising effects to be read in the market.”
‘Talking Paper’ - Erwin Ephron (www.ephrononmedia.com)

Billets
In private conversation Billets have suggested that a rule of thumb between 25-50% coverage of the target group is sufficient to measure impact within a market. The weight varies from category to category. Finance would be at the higher end of this scale, FMCG at the lower end.

TNS
Billets’ view is echoed by TNS (FMCG) who feel that 30-40% coverage of a marketplace should usually provide sufficient critical mass for measurement.

Conclusion
It would appear that, with significant caveats, a reasonable rule of thumb would be that a single medium, if it is going to have a measurable effect within a marketplace, will need to generate coverage amongst the target group of between 25-35% each week as a minimum in any medium.

Using Telmar’s ‘Timeplan’ system PPA has run several magazine schedules targeting different audiences to assess the rating level required to reach 25% of a target audience. Across this analysis it was common for a frequency of 1.4ots to build as coverage reached the 25% level. Consequently the minimum required rating level for a measurable effect in magazines would be 35 GRPs.

We are not suggesting that lower rating levels don’t work – just that measuring their effectiveness will be problematic due to the low weight of advertising.

We have not attempted to define the ideal campaign weight, merely to provide a level at which measurement of the medium’s contribution to the campaign is considered to be achievable.

2) What is the Effective Frequency for my campaign?

A huge amount of research has been done into effective frequency and the level of exposure advertising required to have an effect in a marketplace. Fortunately most of the research has reached similar conclusions.

a) One exposure has a significant effect on purchasing.
b) Two exposures do not have twice the effect of one exposure but usually cost twice as much.
c) This diminishing return deepens as more frequency is added to the campaign.

John Philip Jones, Colin MacDonald, Simon Broadbent and Carat are among those that have produced research to demonstrate how effective advertising can be at generating a sales response with very few exposures.

“The one thing that comes very clearly out of these analyses is that the first advertising exposure has much more effect than what is added by subsequent exposures……….

…….. The largest immediate sales response generated by advertising comes from the first exposure. Extra weight generates very few additional sales. For short-term sales, heavy advertising has little more effect than light advertising weight.”
John Philip Jones

“the most important conclusion from this study comes from an analysis of frequency of exposure among product field users. The results clearly show that effective frequency can be achieved with very few exposures.”
Carat Penrith project

(See How Magazine Advertising Works for more details)

It would appear that reach rather than frequency is likely to have more significant impact on the effectiveness of a media schedule.

This view has been thoroughly investigated by Erwin Ephron, the author of ‘Recency theory’. What Ephron argues is that advertising works with consumers who are in the market for the product being advertised at the time. It doesn’t convince people that they need something – life does that (the cereal box is empty). It gets those people to buy a certain brand.

Do we really think that advertising would get someone to buy a car or a packet of cornflakes if they didn’t need or want one? Do we think that, if we increase the advertising weight then those people who resisted us before will change there mind and buy the cereals they don’t need?

As a consequence, Ephron points out that in every market, in every week only a percentage of the total potential market are ready to buy this week. The issue for the planner is that we don’t know which individual consumer is ready to buy this week – but we do know that purchases will be made every week.

Recency theory accepts that modifying attitudes or creating saliency for a brand does not happen as a result of one exposure. Instead, the single exposure can work only because it is the last of a series of brand messages consumers see. It is effective this time because the consumer is now in the market (ready to buy).

Successful campaigns remind more people who are ready to purchase the product about a brand that they already have some knowledge of.

As a consequence advertising should try to reach as many target consumers as possible in as many weeks as possible. Sighting John Philip Jones STAS work (see Short Term Advertising Strength), Recency argues that reach and not frequency should be the key target for media planning.

In the short term, reach is cost effective – repetition is wasteful.

What replaces our traditional view of frequency is called ‘Brand Presence’. Equity is created, not through short term frequency, but through a continuity of advertising exposure over time. This suggests brands should plan for the highest 52 week total of weekly reach the budget can afford, because different people are in the market for a product during different weeks.

As a consequence consistent advertising presence is a more cost effective method of deploying media weight and reach rather than frequency is the key planning criterion.

Recency planning focuses on:

A narrow planning interval (a week)
We should take a much narrower planning interval than we are used to. While we more normally concentrate on a month, Recency reminds us that purchases are happening every week and that it is these purchases we are trying to affect.

Sequential reach goals (1 week, 4 week, 12 week)
However, to ensure that we don’t repeatedly reach the same consumers every week we must have sequential reach goals. Week 1 might be a 50% target, by week 4 this should have delivered at least 70% reach and by week 12 this should be up to 90%.

Moderate weight (60-80 GRPs per week)
Recency argues that only moderate weights should be used as this will generate reach without the build up of significant (and wasteful) frequency.

Dispersion
Moderate weights of advertising will produces higher reach if they are spread across media vehicles or if weight is dispersed within individual media.

Emphasis on total weeks of advertising
Finally, Recency suggests that we plan for as many weeks of activity as the budget allows, to ensure coverage of as many purchase cycles as possible.

(see www.ephrononmedia.com for more details)

3) Should we 'drip' or 'burst'?

Please see the answer to FAQ 2. In short, advertising at moderate weights should seek to maximise reach and continuity of presence. (Kind of drip+ !)

4) What is the best place in the title to run the ad?

The latest research into this question is ‘Stopwatch’ from Medialogue [2005]. It investigated nearly 3,000 different creative executions across 9 years, with 288,000 interviews.

The three key measures for this research were;

Recognition: “Yes, I have seen that [debranded] ad before”
Attribution: “That [debranded] ad is for brand X” –asked of those who got recognition correct.
Effective Score: Correct answer to both questions above.

In establishing the relative value of different positions and sizes within a magazine, ‘Stopwatch’ provides us with indices against a ‘norm’ of 100.

It would appear from Stopwatch research that a DPS (135 v. page) within a relevant editorial section (110 v. no context) in full colour (196 v. mono) will provide the best chance of effective communication but it is likely that the quality of the creative work will impact on the communication more than any positional issues.

In terms of position in magazine, Stopwatch concludes that there is no significant difference between the front, middle and back sections of a magazine as far as communication effectiveness is concerned.

	Front 1/3	Middle 1/3	Back 1/3
% Recognition	57.8	56.5	55.7
% Attribution	42.0	40.6	42.1
% Effective	26.3	24.9	25.5
Effective Index	103	98	100

See Stopwatch pages 56-85 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]

5) What is the effect of the editorial environment?

The latest research into this question is ‘Stopwatch’ from Medialogue [2005]. It investigated nearly 3,000 different creative executions across 9 years, with 288,000 interviews.

The three key measures for this research were;

Recognition “Yes, I have seen that [debranded] ad before”
Attribution “That [debranded] ad is for brand X” –asked of those who got recognition correct.
Effective Score Correct answer to both questions above.

In assessing relative values, ‘Stopwatch’ provides us with indices against a ‘norm’ of 100.

No context = 100
Context = 110 (advertisements inserted alongside, just in front or just behind editorial on a related topic)

See Stopwatch page 86 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]

6) What is the difference in effect between Right and Left hand pages?

The latest research into this question is ‘Stopwatch’ from Medialogue [2005]. It investigated nearly 3,000 different creative executions across 9 years, with 288,000 interviews.

The three key measures for this research were;

In assessing relative values, ‘Stopwatch’ provides us with indices against a ‘norm’ of 100.

Left 100
Right 107

See Stopwatch page 83 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]

7) What is the difference in effect between colour and mono?

The latest research into this question is ‘Stopwatch’ from Medialogue [2005]. It investigated nearly 3,000 different creative executions across 9 years, with 288,000 interviews.

The three key measures for this research were;

In assessing relative values, ‘Stopwatch’ provides us with indices against a ‘norm’ of 100.

1 page colour = 100
1 page mono = 51

See Stopwatch page 61 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]

8) What is the difference in effect between a Page and Spread?

Spreads appear to communicate 35% more effectively than pages. It is worth remembering that a spread can contain significantly more product information and brand imagery than a single page. The value of a spread should therefore take into account that up to twice the information/imagery has been communicated 35% more effectively.

See Stopwatch page 56 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]

9) What is the most effective size?

Stopwatch 2005 - Indexed against full page at 100.

Quarter page = 46
Half page = 64
Full page = 100
Inside Back Cover = 107
Inside Front Cover = 124
Outside Back Cover = 133
Double Page Spread = 135

See Stopwatch page 56 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]

Media Dynamics Inc. 2004 - Indexed against full page at 100.

Half page = 72
Full Page = 100
Inside back cover = 90
Inside front cover = 112
Outside back cover = 120
Double Page Spread = 130

See How Magazine Advertising Works, Advertisement Noting, for more information

10) How soon will my copy wear out?

In the 1994 Ad Track study conducted by Millward Brown the awareness score of magazine ads at their first exposure was 18% awareness per 100 rating points, averaged across all of the 20 analyzed campaigns. This can be compared with an average awareness score for TV commercials at their first exposure of 13% awareness per 100 rating points.

“…..print executions [when they first appear] are often better at registering something in connection with the brand than TV”. Millward Brown
The average awareness generated by Magazines across all exposures fell in line with TV to 13% per 100 rating points. The reason that the average awareness index for magazine ads fell is that a given creative execution in print eventually loses some of its impact because readers have either absorbed the message from the ad or else mentally edit it out of their subsequent reading.

This potential for over-exposure of a given execution arises from one of the great benefits of print advertising - that readers are in full control of what they look at and can study an advertisement for as long as they choose, and as often as they choose. Millward Brown point out that ‘over-exposure’ might be the best label to describe this element of magazine advertising because “this label correctly places responsibility for dealing with the factor upon the user of the medium”, the advertiser/agency.

The solution to over-exposure of a given creative treatment is to use more executions: instead of running just one advertisement, create two or three. The new ads will stimulate fresh involvement and push the average awareness index above the 13% mark - that is, above TV’s average level.
While it is difficult to conclude that there is a single wear-out figure, it seems reasonable to conclude from Ad Track that copy should be changed/rotated after 3 or 4 opportunities to see (NRS measured not QRS).

As Millward Brown stated; “a major magazine campaign needs to be conceived in the form of several complementary executions.

See How Magazine Advertising Works for more details

11) What is the effect of clutter?

Although the effect of clutter [confusion caused by excessive advertising volume] has long been accepted in transient media like TV and Radio, the impact of increased volume of advertising within a magazine has no effect on the ability of individual executions to effectively communicate with readers.

‘Stopwatch’ investigated three different levels of advertising/editorial balance.

The three key measures for this research were;

Clutter

% ad pagination	0-19%	20-29%	30-40%
% Recognition	54.8	56.8*	59.7*
% Attribution	40.3	41.2	44.7*
% Effective	23.9	25.4	28.7*

* Statistically significant difference from 0-19% column.

The scores do show significant differences, but these run counter to any clutter hypothesis. The explanation is specific to the research. Those magazines with higher ad pagination tended to be monthly women’s magazines with a large proportion of highly relevant advertising that readers recognised more readily than in other magazines.

The central point however, is that clutter does not impact on advertising effectiveness. This is due to the nature of the reader’s control over their media consumption in magazines. It is up to each reader to decide how long to spend reading each ad in a magazine. If their interest is aroused it is likely that the ad will communicate effectively.

See Stopwatch page 89 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]

12) What is the value of ‘specials’? (Inserts, gatefold, samples, scent samples, cards etc)

Again ‘Stopwatch’ provides the most recent and detailed view of the effect of ‘specials’.

Using the three main measures in the research [see FAQ11 for details] the results are;

	'Normal’ page	Gatefold	Insert	Scent Sample	Card	Sample
% Recognition	56.2	62.9	67.8	69.3	66.5	79.0
% Attribution	41.0	46.8	46.9	51.4	59.8	62.4
% Effective Score	25.0	30.7	33.3	35.9	40.9	49.8

For more details and definitions see Stopwatch page 58 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]

In addition, ‘Creative Format, Premium Impact’ investigates the semiotics behind different forms of advertising in magazines.

Gatefolds
The physical nature of gatefolds 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.

Inserts/Cards
The use of paper technology is exciting, unpredictable and effective for engaging audiences. 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”.

Sampling
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.

For more details see Creative Format, Premium Impact [pdf]

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. 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)

For more details see How Magazine Advertising Works

13) What is the value of sponsorship?

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.

For more details see Creative Format, Premium Impact [pdf]

14) What is the value of advertorials?

Advertisement features, or ‘advertorials’, enable the advertiser to adapt their communication to the magazine in which they appear and so achieve an integration with, and perceived endorsement from, the host magazine. ‘Creative Format, Premium Impact’ 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.

For more details see Creative Format, Premium Impact [pdf]

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. 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”.

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 qualitative survey for SouthBank Publishing Group. 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.

For more details see How Magazine Advertising Works

15) What is the value of covers?

The latest research into this question is ‘Stopwatch’ from Medialogue [2005]. It investigated nearly 3,000 different creative executions across 9 years, with 288,000 interviews.

The three key measures for this research were;

In assessing relative values, ‘Stopwatch’ provides us with indices against a ‘norm’ of 100.

	‘Normal’ page	Inside front cover	Inside back cover	Outside back cover
% Recognition	55.1	62.0	59.3	64.5
% Attribution	40.4	45.3	41.0	46.8
% Effective Score	24.2	30.0	26.0	32.3
Effective Index	32.3	124	107	133

See Stopwatch page 56 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]

16) What is the value of the use of multiple copy in a title?

The latest research into this question is ‘Stopwatch’ from Medialogue [2005]. It investigated nearly 3,000 different creative executions across 9 years, with 288,000 interviews.

The three key measures for this research were;

Is it worth your while to run a series of ads in the same magazine? Some advertisers like to insert ads on successive left-hand or right-hand pages, while others put a teaser without mentioning the brand before their actual advertisement.

The number of tested ads in this category is not exactly large (84 out of 2,800+) but the trend is clear. ‘Stopwatch’ distinguishes between successive advertisements that mention the brand (= successive ads) and those not mentioning the brand (= teasers).

Successive advertisements certainly do increase impact. This is wholly and exclusively due to a better Attribution which is only logical because the brand is repeated. Teasers work by whetting readers’ curiosity and stimulating recognition and brand attribution.

	None	Successive ads	Teaser
% Recognition	56.9	56.7	59.8
% Attribution	41.6	48.3	49.7
% Effective Score	25.7	28.9	33.5
Effective Index	100	112	130

See Stopwatch page 68 [pdf]

Alternatively, download the whole Stopwatch report [pdf]