Print Advertisement Requires a Certain Discipline

By: Ujaya Shakya

One of the popular methods for marketing and advertising products is print advertisement which includes advertisement placement in newspapers, magazines or using different collateral materials like flyers, brochures, point of purchase danglers and other print formats.

Smart and effective print advertising requires more than just a talent. It requires a certain discipline. You might conceptualize a very creative layout, but if it doesn’t contain a clear message relevant to the target audience, it’s going to miss the mark.

Ensuring Effective Print Campaign

Here are a few quick tips to ensure more creative and attention-grabbing print campaigns that will give results for your brands.

1) Always hire professionals to lend a hand for you:

Are you among one of those persons who “save money” by writing and designing your own ads? But in actuality, you may be wasting money by doing it yourself. Even if you are a small-time business or a start-up entrepreneur, it is always smart to hire professionals who are skilled and experienced to produce advertisements for their daily bread.

2) A headline that captures your audience’s attention:

Does your print ad have a headline? Headline matters the most in the print ad. Most of the time, the headline is the only thing the customer will read in your advertisement. Make sure your print media ad has an easy-to-read, effective and inviting headline. And always make sure your headline is clear, concise and compelling.

3) Long copy versus short copy:

Long text can and does do wonders. Some of the greatest ad veterans like Bill Bernbach and Neil French are credited with long text advertising works in their milestone campaigns, Remember, it is much harder to write effective long copy than effective short copy. Long text must grab and hold the reader’s interest all the way through till the end. Short copy is easy to read, remember and act upon. For products which require less customer engagement like toothpaste or shampoo, short copy is fine. However, for hospitals and educational institutes that require higher engagement can and do resort to longer copies. Therefore, it will depend upon your brand category and communication objective to determine which will work best for your current agenda.

4) Always keep it simple:

You should never complicate your ad theme and try to say too many things in your advertisement. The truth is that the most effective advertising are often quite simple. They are easy to read. They have clear agendas. Your target audience should not fail to understand the message you want to convey. So always strive to make your ad simple and to the point with one key message at a time.

5) Write for the ear as well as the eye:

This rule which is often applied for radio and TV copy, is equally valid for print media advertisement as well. Read your copy aloud and see if it flows or not? Does it sound right? Revise and edit until it does. And write for the heart and the mind both.

6) Don’t forget the Art:

It makes no difference even if your advertisement is written by the greatest copywriter. If your ad does not include appropriate art, the right visual or graphics or photographs to go with your copy, it won’t be doing the job it could do with art. What do you mean by Art? Any effective illustration, a photograph, a logo, a drawing, or a combination of these constitutes the art. Remember the old saying: “A picture is worth a thousand words”.

7) Does your advertisement solve the customer’s problems?

Too often ads are composed strictly from the seller’s point of view without regard for the buyer’s perspectives. This will be a big mistake. Your advertisement must always cater to your customer’s values, desire and aspiration & resonate their thinking.

8) Does your ad look crowded or cluttered?

Cramped, cluttered, crowded ads get plenty of attention, of course…all negative! You should always try and put forward single agenda with one advertisement layout and keep good amount of breathing space for your message to stand out so your message is crystal clear to the audiences you ought to reach.

9) Don’t forget the basics:

Always make sure your print advertisement contains the following: your company or brand logo and your contact numbers. If relevant, your website address and your email address and your hours and days of operations should also go. Your address and simple directions may also go, depending on the product category, so that your customers can reach you.

Successful print advertising requires more than just a creative idea. It has to follow a set technique to make an effective mark and get noticed by the relevant audiences.

Know Further:

www.brandsutra.info

www.linkedin.com/showcase/brandsutra-np

About the Book

Ujaya Shakya’s Brandsutra is a collection of inclusive & incisive thoughts on the marketing & advertising field in Nepal. This book tries to introduce all of the 360-degree communication touch-points, elucidating upon the model of Integrated Marketing Communication, or convergent branding.

Published by FinePrint