We usually talk about added value of print as it relates to the consumer/user, and rarely about the added value print advertising gives to publications, so this article was a pleasant surprise. What is it that makes a magazine a magazine? Is it the articles or the ads? Let’s imagine for a minute every ad for a Men’s product was pulled from GQ and replaced with Female products – and the really squirmy FEMALE products – not Victoria’s Secret spreads. Would men still read it knowing that they would have to touch and turn pages dedicated to tampons? How would that reflect upon the GQ brand?
Yes, all rhetorical questions but nonetheless I have come to this conclusion… PRINT ADVERTISING IS NOT A HOLIDAY BOOTY CALL. When Marketers know they need to reach an audience, as in the case of this promotion, they call upon Print. They can count on Print to always be there, waiting for some attention and love. They know Print will deliver with no questions asked and no ill will if advertisers dont return immediately because when they do, Print will make it happen and never turn them away… BUT, if Print ads contribute to the magazine’s brand, maybe it’s time to stop worrying about advertisers’ digital girlfriend and create relationships that have brands wanting to see you more often (and in public). Then we can all live happily ever after.
By Rachel Lamb
Using Condé Nast’s Vogue magazine as audience leverage, fashion house Chanel incorporated a Christmas-themed supplement pushing its famed No. 5 fragrance.
The mailer came in a package to the Vogue subscriber base with the December issue. The brand likely is giving the title’s affluent and aspiring readership holiday gift ideas.
“The caliber of brands that are advertised in a magazine set the tone and serve as a signal for the reader of the contents of the magazine,” said Courtney Albert, consultant on marketing and branding at Parker Avery, Atlanta. “For example, imagine a reader that picks up a magazine for the first time and flips through to get a sense of not only what the publication is about but also if it is worth reading and possibly purchasing.
“This entire thought process takes place in a matter of seconds and obviously this is not enough time to find and read an article,” she said. “Instead, the advertisements scattered throughout provide an instant level set to the reader.
“For the aspirational consumer or the reader who is seeking insight on upscale products and services, these advertisements validate the magazine as an authority of luxury without having to read one article.”
Continues at: Chanel taps Vogue supplement to spark holiday gift giving – Luxury Daily – Print.
