Tag: adverts on newspaper

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The History of Newspaper Ads

Newspaper advertisements have been part of our life since the emergence of the first newspaper in the 16th and 17th century. Newspapers carried advertisements to cover the cost of publishing and distribution. Since then reading newspapers and along with that checking out ads published in them has been a day to day affair for us. Various innovative men, women and businesses for the last five centuries have contributed to the art of advertising and therefore even today innovative newspaper advertisements draw awe from the public.  

Very early newspapers were weeklies published in European countries like Venice, Germany and Holland and they mostly contained news of war and politics. The first daily newspaper was Daily Courant published in Britain from 1702 to 1735. From the very beginning, all newspapers carried commercial ads but with the publishing of daily newspapers, the flow of newspaper advertisements gradually began to rise. Promotion of books and medicines were the first commercial newspaper advertisements but by mid 17th century it was observed that advertisement of various other products became a trend. By the 19th century La Presse, a Paris newspaper started relying upon advertisements to lower its sale price. In the United States, the Boston News Letter became the first newspaper which began carrying advertisements.

The first English weekly to print in India was Hickey’s Bengal Gazette also known as Calcutta General Advertiser. It was in fact the first English weekly to publish in Asia. This newspaper started its journey in 1780 and ceased to exist in 1782 but the seed of newspaper commercial advertisements were sown in India with this publication. Later, with the publication of various other newspapers notably The Bombay Times and Journal of Commerce which is now known as The Times of India, in 1838 and The Hindu in 1878, newspaper advertisement began to rise. 

Classified Advertisements in newspapers were originally published free of charge and trace their history back to 1763. They were known as “want” ads at that time. By the end of 18th century, Morning Herald of London began to categorize classified ads as “To be let”, “To be sold”, “Want places”, “Sale by Auction”, etc. Since then almost all London newspapers were publishing Classifieds regularly. The first newspaper to have a special department for Classified Advertising was the Philadelphia Public Ledger which started around the end of the U.S Civil War in 1865. These classified ads were of affordable cost and allowed individuals to reach out to masses. The biggest category was that of Medical where quack medicine and remedy ads were published.

During the late 19th and early 20th Century, newspaper advertising began to climb its height throughout the world as well as in India. Advertising was established as a profession and there was the growth of Advertising Agencies. Volney B. Palmer set up the first advertising agency in Philadelphia. In India, B. Dataram and Company established the first advertising agency in 1905 followed by The India-Advertising Company, the Calcutta Advertising agency and S.H. Bensen. Apart from imparting product information, there was a rise in creative designing and innovative marketing in these new generation newspaper advertisements.

The periods of World Wars saw a rise in newspaper ads. During the World War II newspaper advertising increased as men left their employment to join war efforts and newspapers were filled with “Position Wanted” and “Help Wanted” ads. As per a record, 51% of newsprint was occupied with classifieds in 1943 United States. During this period, we can see the revolutionary genius of advertising David Ogilvy stating his own advertising agency. In India, during this period, when the freedom movement gained momentum, there was a rise in creative newspaper advertisements asking Indians to buy Swadeshi products boycotting products from the British Empire. 

After independence, due to the Socialist political environment in India of 1960-1970, there was decline in newspaper advertisement due to regulations and tax regimes. In other parts of the world, due to health concerns and social ethics, various types of advertising were banned or restrictions were imposed.  However, in India, it gained momentum after 1970 and thereafter in 1980, due to opening up of the economy; there was expansion of newspaper advertising. Various advertising agencies came into existence and the corporate sector increased their advertising budgets.

During the 1990s, we can see the advent of the World Wide Web which, within a decade, was a household tool. By early 2000, leveraging this technology, many companies started online marketing and advertising. There were websites especially developed to cater for business hiring needs or matrimonial match making. While this came up as a threat to newspaper advertising worldwide, in India we still had a high number of people who were dependent upon newspapers for their daily dose of news especially the elder generation, the middle class and the rural population. Advertising in newspapers was still a good way to reach out to the Indian masses. However, individuals and businesses were looking forward to an option where they could sit at home or their office and book a newspaper advertisement with trustworthy and transparent rates.

In 2009, an Indian start up releaseMyAd came into existence. This website www.releasemyad.com was innovative and combining the power of internet technology, it allowed booking advertisements in newspapers. This idea was itself revolutionary and never thought of previously. People in India had to get in touch with local grocer’s stores to get a classified ad published in a newspaper that too with dubious rates and no customer service.

releaseMyAd, with its relentless  development and innovative ideas, developed a platform where not only classifieds but display ads can be created and booked in any newspaper throughout India with few mouse clicks. This self serve portal has brought newspaper ad booking to an advertiser’s doorstep. Additionally, it has excellent customer support which attends to every customer who faces booking issues in the website. The growth and success story of releaseMyAd truly deserves a chapter in the history of newspaper advertising. releaseMyAd customer support team can be reached through the Phone/ WhatsApp No. 9830629298 or email id book@releasemyad.com. Online chat support is also available on the website 24X7.

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A Step-by-Step Guide to Newspaper Advertisements

We often listen to the controversy about whether newspapers are going to die soon because of the emergence of other mediums such as television or the internet. No, this article is absolutely not about this controversy. It is something which will help you in the long run. So go ahead and read.

None of us can actually say whether newspapers are going to lose it’s importance or not. But till now even after the mass usage of TV and internet, as far as news is concerned, people still prefer newspapers. Maybe because it is more reliable and more organized than any other news medium. And the more reliability a newspaper holds in the market, the more it’s printed advertisements are noticed and trusted. Thus, now you as an advertiser know where your potential target group lies. Newspapers also help you to know the exact reach of your advertisement, by tracking it’s circulation, which is not this easily possible for other mediums. 

Thus, I would suggest you go for newspaper ads to grab your market first.

If you also agree with me then here is a step-by-step guide for you to book your newspaper advertisement. 

Booking Steps for Newspaper Advertisement

Step 1: Understanding Requirements

First, you have to understand your requirements. It is only you who can decide what to communicate and why to communicate. So, your requirements should be crystal clear to you. Also, clear requirements will help you to set an approximate budget and thus choose the appropriate format of the advertisement.

Step 2: Setting approximate Budget

Now once you are clear with your requirements, you can set a tentative budget. It will help you to shortlist the best options based on the approximate budget. But keep in mind that the actual cost can differ a bit from your expected budget. It is thus better to be economically prepared.

Step 3: Selection of newspaper

This is a very important process as this will decide the effectiveness of your advertisement. A newspaper should be chosen based on a few factors. Such as, it’s circulation, readership, reputation in the market and it’s cost-effectiveness. Your newspaper can make you effective. Thus, choose it wisely.

Step 4: Book the Advertisement

This is when you need to pay your attention to the message you want to send the readers in the form of an advertisement. Form it properly to make it just not an Ad but a Smart ad. And spend your money smartly.

Step 5: Monitoring the feedback

Along with booking an advertisement, it is really important to monitor the reader’s feedback. Don’t forget that the feedback is the ultimate result of your ad and it can decide your further steps regarding advertisements.

Are you tired of reading steps? Or are you thinking about how to do it all? Don’t worry, releaseMyAd is there for you.

releaseMyAd is the online ad booking portal which is authorized by almost all the reputed newspapers in India. It makes your ad booking easy as now you can just visit https://www.releasemyad.com/newspaper-advertisement and book your advertisement in a few easy steps, from anywhere anytime. releaseMyAd charges no extra commission for booking your ad instead it offers you some amazing discount packages for advertisement booking. releaseMyAd executives can provide you an amazing customer service, in which they are proficient. All you need to do is call at 9830629298 or you can Chat with our expert by clicking on Live Chat option or Chat With An Expert Option.

Newspaper advertisements are for all. Starting from individuals who place classified ads, to the companies putting up ads for creating brand awareness, newspaper advertisements have been trusted by all. Similarly, releaseMyAd also built up it’s pillar of reputation in the market, serving more than 3,25,000 advertisers. Go ahead Put up your ad, without thinking about failure. You never know your one try can let you reach the peak. So, we wish you All The Best, hope you take your next step as an advertiser wisely.

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Everything You Need to Know About Newspaper Advertisement Booking

Newspaper Advertising  is the most traditional method of advertising followed since years. It is economical and easier to reach a large audience at once through placing advertisements in the newspapers. Hence, print media advertising is here to stay.

Prior to understanding how a newspaper advertisement is booked, it is essential to know why the medium is so popular for advertising and what are the factors that need to be considered towards planning a newspaper advertisement.

Why Newspaper Advertising? :

Newspaper advertising is the most common and popular method for advertising on account of the following reasons :

  • Affordability : Newspapers, being quite cheap in terms of cost, is affordable for the target audience. The direct link between the manufacturers and ultimate consumers eliminate middlemen from in between, thereby saving on additional costs. Further, since the cost of printing newspapers all over the world is largely met by amounts paid by various advertisers, the per unit cost of newspapers are pretty low.
  • Trustworthiness : Being the oldest known form of advertising, newspaper advertising is still considered to be the most trustworthy method of advertising as publishers are accountable for what they print and there are lesser chances of fraudulent ads being published. Newspapers are the most trusted paid medium for advertising followed by television, radio and online advertising respectively
  • Flexibility : Newspaper advertisements can be edited and customised as per the advertiser’s needs or preferences at any time prior to getting printed. Also advertisers enjoy full control on the size, design and positioning of their ads when advertising through newspapers.
  • Lesser distractions : Unlike television and radio advertisements, newspaper ads are given more attention as readers generally do not indulge in multitasking while reading, provided the advertisement is appealing enough and the readers go through the advertisement with interest without having skipped it.
  • Wide reach and large audience : Newspapers are capable of approaching a large audience at a time. There are millions of newspapers published and distributed on a daily basis. Advertising in newspapers give the advertisers the opportunity to spread their message to the masses

Factors to consider for newspaper advertising :

  • Advertising Budget :

The type of advertisement to be published and the appropriate newspaper is normally determined on the basis of the budget of the advertiser. 

The cost of advertising in a newspaper depends upon – 

Newspaper Ad Cost
  • Popularity and Circulation of Newspaper : The more popularity a newspaper enjoys, the higher is its readership. Advertising in newspapers with a higher circulation implies a higher cost of advertising, as evident from the publication’s ad rates. While most publications charge on the basis of circulation, a few publications even charge on the basis of readership the newspaper enjoys.
  • Frequency of Ad Run : To create an impact, it is important to repeat the advertisement a certain number of times to ensure it gets noticed and garners a proper and favourable response. Higher the frequency of advertising, higher shall be the total advertising expenditure.
  • Type of Advertisement : Classified Text ads are the cheapest, Classified Display ads are a bit more expensive and Display ads are the most expensive advertisements.
  • Size of Advertisement : The size of advertisement is directly proportional to the cost of advertisement. While classifieds occupy less ad space and are cheaper, display ads are quite expensive according to the space it occupies on the newspaper.  A half page advertisement costs higher than a quarter page advertisement and a full page advertisement costs higher than a half page advertisement.
  • Colour of Advertisement : Though monochrome advertisements are cheaper, colour ads enhance the visual appeal of the advertisements and help them stand out. Hence, coloured ads cost higher than black and white plain ads.
  • Position of Advertisement : Ads placed on the front or back pages of the newspaper are more expensive than those placed on the inner pages of the issue. This is because the front or back pages are the first and last pages people tend to view, and placing the ads on such pages ensures noticeability. Similarly for some publications, ads on the right hand side pages cost more than those placed on the left side pages.
  • Date/Day of Release : The cost of placing a newspaper advertisement for the weekend happens to be greater than the ads placed to publish on weekdays. Also, the ad rates tend to increase during festive occasions.
  • Location and Audiences to Target :

It is important to ascertain the location and audience to be targeted through the advertisement. Choice for the appropriate newspaper is directly influenced by the following factors :

  1. Research on existing market : Preliminary research should be conducted to study the tastes and preferences of the end users of the products or services advertised. The entire advertising campaign should be based upon the buying patterns of the customers and how likely they are to go for competing products or services.
  2. Target Region (Reach) : To ensure reaching out to the desired target region, it is important to advertise in a newspaper which is widely circulated in the target region.The scale of reaching out needs to be concrete – whether to target a locality, a city, a state or the nation as a whole. 
  3. Language and Income of the Target Audience : The message advertised can only be spread effectively if the ad is published in a language which the readers comprehend. Choice of the newspaper is also influenced by the language to be used to connect with the target audience.
  4. Age group, gender and profession of Target Audience : Different ads cater to different sections of the society belonging to different age groups, genders and professions. These factors must be taken into account while choosing the newspaper for advertising a particular product meant for the specific market.
  5. Rural, Urban or both : If the target audience belongs to the rural areas, newspapers should be selected keeping them in mind. While for those belonging to the urban areas, who are usually more educated and well to do, the advertisement should be planned accordingly. For targeting both the rural and urban areas alike, the newspaper chosen should have enough circulation and population in both these areas.
  • Choice of newspaper : 

For ensuring effective advertising through newspapers, the following points should be considered :

Ads in Newspapers
  1. Selection of Appropriate Newspaper : Taking into account the popularity of a newspaper in terms of daily circulation and readership as well as the demographics of the target audience, the correct newspaper should be selected for placing the advertisement in.
  2. Selection of Appropriate Edition and Supplements : Selection of the desired edition for the newspaper must be made for ensuring greater response. Also weekly supplements of such newspapers can be put to use, especially when it comes to advertising for lifestyle products.
  3. Selection of Appropriate Day for Release : Print media is always overflowing with advertisements and it may not be possible to publish an ad on the desired date causing rescheduling, which may not be as effective for the advertiser. All efforts should be made to ensure timely release of the booked advertisement. Obsolete information does not serve the purpose of advertising, which aims at informing before occurrence.
  4. Accuracy of Contact Details : It is important to lay stress on ensuring a call to action (response) by providing accurate contact details in the advertisement. It is meaningless to go for an advertisement without letting people know how and who to approach in case they develop an interest in the advertisement.
Classified Text Ads in Newspaper
  • Type of Advertisement :

Depending on the purpose and budget for advertising, an advertiser may choose from the following formats of newspaper advertisements :

  1. Classified Text : simple text ads, charged on the basis of characters, words or lines in the ad matter.
  2. Classified Display : small ads with text and images, being slightly costlier due to the use of enhancements for better visual appeal.
  3. Display : image based large advertisements usually advertised by big businesses for brand promotion and consequently the most expensive ads on account of great visual appeal and maximum impact in influencing the target audience.
Classified Display Ads in Newspaper
  • Category and Sub Category of Advertisement : 

Depending on the desired ad matter, the appropriate category for the advertisement should be selected. For instance, an ad seeking a bride for a male should be booked under the category “Matrimonial” and further under the subcategory “Bride Wanted”. On similar lines, there are a variety of advertising categories to choose from, purely depending on the ad matter, like Property, Public Notice, Obituary, Change of Name, Lost and Found, etc.

Newspaper Display Ads
  • Advertisement Content :

The ad matter should be composed keeping the following factors in mind :

  1. Memorable Message : The advertising content must be capable of appealing to the readers’ senses and move them to action. 
  2. Entertaining : In addition to providing basic information, the advertisement must also be entertaining enough for the audience to generate interest and register to memory.
  3. Attention Grabbing Design : Use of images and enhancements help make the advertisements more visually appealing and hence the ad design prominently matters.
  4. Good Tagline : A good tagline is just like a book’s cover – the very first thing readers notice about a newspaper ad, and helps develop the readers’ internet in the content. If not framed properly, the readers might overlook the detailed content due to lack of interest.
  5. Good content : The ad content should ideally be detailed yet precise and to the point, avoiding unnecessary information.
  6. Generates Response : The advertisement should be capable of generating response, calling the readers to action. The ad content should be able to satisfy basic queries of the customer and should highlight the pros of the product or service advertised. 
  7. Targeting the Correct Group : All advertisements are not meant for everyone alike. The ad content should be such that should highlight the importance of the product/service advertised for the particular target audience.
  • Competitor Observation : 

It is important to observe how competing organisations are advertising their products so that one can plan an advertising strategy which makes them stand out from the competition in the market. The key is to be different and do better.

  • Booking Options : 

Once advertisers are sure about the kind of ad to be placed, how much they can spend on it, which paper and location they desire to advertise in, they need to book the advertisement.

The traditional method is to approach the respective publication directly and get the advertisement booked with them. However, with modern day advancements in place, online advertising agencies are available to help advertisers reach the publications at the convenience of their desired place and time.

The advertiser is the king, and the ball is always in his court. He can decide how to proceed with his ad booking, having considered all the factors described herein.

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Drawbacks of print advertising that you need to be aware of

Print advertising has been the traditionally used medium for advertising and this business has been flourishing since the inception of newspapers and magazines. While print advertising has a plethora of advantages to offer, we must not forget that there are always two sides to a coin, and print media to suffers from a few drawbacks.

Let us discuss the limitations of print advertising :

  • Limited Shelf Life :

Newspapers are usually read once or twice, and thereafter sold off to scrap dealers or are simply thrown away. The average effective life of a newspaper, for any individual, is estimated to be a maximum of 15 to 20 minutes only. Typically, no reader refers back to an outdated newspaper issue and therefore, advertisers must repeat their advertisements to ensure that the advertisement has a lasting impact.

  • Uncertainty :

Since many readers tend to read newspapers in a rush, there is no guarantee that the advertisements will definitely be read. There is a high degree of uncertainty involved with newspaper advertisements, as readers might give the advertisement a total miss.

  • Limited readership due to Literacy factor : 

Newspapers are meant to be read, and hence advertising through newspapers does not work for people who cannot read or write.  The readership of newspapers is consequently limited to educated people only. This is a major problem with the rural areas, where literacy rates are reasonably lower than elsewhere. 

  • Lack of quality reproduction :

Newspapers involve the use of low-quality paper for publishing purposes. The desired visual effects may not be achieved, and the advertisement may not be appealing to the audience.

  • Availability of modern advertising mediums :

There are better and modernised mediums for advertising available today. Advertising through radio, television or internet, though expensive, are remembered much more than newspaper advertisements on account of an audio/video element attached to it.

  • Competitor Threat :

As newspapers are a highly visible medium, competitors may instantly react to the advertisements published.

  • Lack of control over Ad Placement :

Newspapers do not guarantee publishing of advertisements on particular premium pages. There are high chances of the advertisements not being published on the desired page or desired dates when the ad space runs out for a particular date.

  • Advertisement Clutter :
Advertising Options

Multiple advertisements when printed on the same page tend to create unnecessary visual clutter, causing people to overlook specific advertisements. Advertisers with smaller advertisements, often run the risk of not catching the attention of potential customers when they are overlooked due to the clutter created by other competing advertisements. 

  • Lesser Targeting :

Newspaper advertisements generally broadcast the message to one and all alike. They do not project the advertisements as specifically meant for a certain audience group. It is often difficult to target a specific target audience through newspaper advertising.

Advertising Cost
  • Increase in Advertising Cost :

To enhance the appeal of the newspaper advertisement, the advertisers often need to spend more towards the advertisement design, as compared to a plain text advertisement. Graphics, colours and images are employed to enhance the visual appeal of the advertisement, which incurs extra expenditure on the advertising campaign. Furthermore, advertisements need to be published frequently in order to be remembered by the audience. Repeated advertising too implies an increase in advertising expenses.

  • Lead Time Delays :

As print media requires production, the information requires a lead time before it is processed and published in the newspaper. Sometimes this causes the information to become obsolete even before it reaches the audience.

To conclude, every advertising medium is effective in its own way. It is required to plan the advertisement stressing on the positive aspects of the advertising medium concerned while working to minimise the adverse effects of advertising through print media.

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Types of Newspaper Advertising: which do you need?

Advertisements and business promotion have become two sides of the same coin. The most traditionally used means of advertising, newspapers, are the first choice for any advertiser when it comes to advertising. Low cost, wide reach and flexibility in advertising options are pretty much the reasons why advertisers see newspaper advertising as their prime choice.

Talking about newspaper advertising, there are plenty of options available to choose the advertisement type from. The decision behind opting for any particular type of newspaper advertising is primarily driven by the cost of advertising and the purpose behind the advertisement, with special emphasis on the target customer base.

The basic kinds of newspaper advertisements you will commonly come across while reading any newspaper, are listed below:

  • Classified Advertisements :

Usually towards the back of a magazine or newspaper, classified advertisements are small insertions, normally charged on a per word basis.  Since these ads are less costly as compared to other forms of newspaper advertisements, classifieds are usually the first choice for any advertiser when advertising through the medium of newspapers. These ads can either be text based or image based, and the cost varies accordingly. The common sub classifications of classified advertisements are as follows :

  • Matrimonial
  • Property
  • Tender Notice
  • Public Notice
  • Auction Notice
  • Educational
  • Public Appointments
  • Situations vacant
  • Situations wanted
  • Rental
  • Display Advertisements : 

Display advertisements occupy a space as much as one eighth of a page to an entire page in a newspaper. Being highly visual, these advertisements catch the attention of the readers towards the message of the advertisement.These advertisements are commonly termed as “box ads” since they usually take a rectangular or a square shape on the newspaper page. Larger the space, higher is the cost of the advertisement. These ads are generally used to advertise the everyday essentials like domestic items, kitchenware, cosmetics, electronics and sanitary products. Newspaper Display ads are usually costlier but has a huge impact.

  • Insert Advertisements :

Insert advertisements are full paged advertisements, usually in the form of small cards or pamphlets. The rate for such advertisements largely depends on the circulation and production cost for the flyer. Since inserts are “stand alone” in nature, it is possible for the readers to pull out the advertisement from the issue and keep it handy with themselves.

  • Spotlight Advertisements :

As the name suggests, Spotlight advertisements tend to place the ‘spotlight’ over a certain product, collection, employee or customer of the business. These advertisements tend to create an impact by providing huge avenues for brand recognition, highlighting the relevance of a particular product or employee, through their social achievements or the problems solved by them.

  • Business Cards :

Business Card advertisements typically outline a company’s information for the readers to connect with. With the use of creative slogans, taglines, pictures and graphics, these ads help people identify the companies, which helps them create a market for their products and services.

  • Sale Advertisements :

Sale advertisements are commonly used to make announcements when an entire store or a complete department of a store puts up a sale. These ads are most commonly used at the time of stock clearance to clear the old stock and thereby generate cash flows.

  • Coupons :

Coupons are used to attract customers to a business’s online or physical stores, by providing them an opportunity to avail certain offers against the coupons in the newspapers. This kind of advertising is pretty easy to evaluate in terms of the number of coupons redeemed by customers during an offer. 

  • Informational Advertisements :

Such advertisements are printed in an editorial format, just like an article, usually with a disclaimer above the post, notifying the reader. Since such advertisements can also be posted online, these can easily drive more traffic towards the business’s website or store.

  • Disclosures :

The legal notices usually printed around the classified section of the newspapers are commonly termed as “Disclosures”. This is an important type of newspaper advertisements, as it usually advertises important information with the intent of making the information known to the general public. Advertisements for change of name and debtors fall under this category.

  • Foldings :

A small printed advertisement, usually placed on the left hand side of a newspaper, is known as a folding. Foldings catch the readers’ eyes as they are attached separately to the newspaper, with the advertisement printed on either one or both its sides. Visually pleasing, it comes in the way of a reader’s reading and hence draws attention towards itself.

  • Flyers :

The glossy and colourful advertisements within the newspapers are commonly termed as “Flyers”. Usually deployed by large retailers like pharmacists, grocery stores and supermarkets, flyers usually contain advertisements relating to seasonal sales going on in the respective stores, and encourage people to visit the store before the last date warning them of limited period or limited stock offers.

  • House Ads :

House ads are commonly placed by publishers to promote the value of purchasing ad space. These ensure more advertisers coe up and place advertisements with the newspaper, as a response to house ads.

Having discussed the various types of newspaper advertisements, the choice of the kind of advertisement depends on the advertiser, having considered the budget of the campaign, the target market to reach and purpose of the campaign.