Newspaper advertising options | Newspaper Advertising Encyclopedia

April 22, 2020April 26, 2020

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 –

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 :

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.
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.
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.
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.
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 :

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.
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.
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.
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.

Type of Advertisement :

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

Classified Text : simple text ads, charged on the basis of characters, words or lines in the ad matter.
Classified Display : small ads with text and images, being slightly costlier due to the use of enhancements for better visual appeal.
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.

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.

Advertisement Content :

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

Memorable Message : The advertising content must be capable of appealing to the readers’ senses and move them to action.
Entertaining : In addition to providing basic information, the advertisement must also be entertaining enough for the audience to generate interest and register to memory.
Attention Grabbing Design : Use of images and enhancements help make the advertisements more visually appealing and hence the ad design prominently matters.
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.
Good content : The ad content should ideally be detailed yet precise and to the point, avoiding unnecessary information.
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.
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.

April 14, 2020April 22, 2020

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 :

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.

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.

April 11, 2020April 14, 2020

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.

February 3, 2017August 20, 2020

Advent of Newspaper Advertising

Newspaper Advertising has been an age old practice of print advertising. But a lot of advertisers are still quite apprehensive of this medium. They often wonder why anyone would opt for such a traditional method of advertising when there are modern replacements. But every advertisement has its own plus points and advantages over other forms of advertising, so do Newspapers. The main reason for this is the variation in target audiences of different advertisers. Online Newspaper Ad

Before advertising through any medium, it is essential to know about the medium, its strengths and weaknesses to avoid mistakes in implementing any advertising campaign. An advertiser should be aware of the different aspects of the chosen medium of advertising including formats, categories, concepts and how to drive profits their way. Understanding the medium is the only way to ensure profits.

A course structure explaining all the pros and cons of newspaper advertising with its specifications has been designed to assist advertisers with their research on the medium before implementing any Newspaper Print Ad Campaign.

Advertisers like you should be well aware of the doors that newspaper advertising opens for their brand and with the help of this Course structure, you will surely gain the expertise to decide whether Newspaper Advertising is best for you or not. Advertisement on Newspaper

To begin with Newspaper Advertising, you must know that we are here to evaluate the relevance, effectiveness, pros and cons of newspaper advertising. As you are very much aware that newspapers are a very common medium of advertising, therefore before you select it as your own advertising medium, evaluating the relationship between the medium and advertisements is quite crucial.

This form of advertising has been around for advertisers since ages. Soon after the discovery of the Printing Press and Newspapers as a mass communication medium, advertisements in newspapers were also invented to generate revenue. Initially, newspapers were published only for informing the masses about the current affairs of a country and awakening them to the call of different revolutions that took place around the invention of newspapers. But now they have turned into business houses competing against one another, proving their superiority from different perspectives.

Technically speaking the higher the sales of a newspaper that you choose to advertise in, the higher will be the chances of driving better sales through your newspaper advertisement.