Media Campaign
Press Adverts
An effective press advertising and media campaign will be concise and engaging. It will convey the values of the business and be designed to captivate the interest of the intended audience. The imagery will be clearly understood and the copy crisp and to the point. A distinct call to action will inform the reader what their next action should be, perhaps directing them to the website or to pick up the phone and speak to the sales team.
Well designed advertising and media will drive interest in the company or product. With many businesses moving to a digital biased marketing strategy, opportunities are opening up for those who want to exploit traditional print media platforms. Magazines and newspapers still have a substantial and loyal reader base. Seeking out inventive publications that target niche markets can be a very productive way to get your message out there. Perhaps now is a great time to move some of the marketing spend back to print?
Advert Design
As a creative advert designer, I will work with you to produce a effective advert that communicates not only your message, but also your brand values.
We will want to keep it as simple as possible which where the strength of design will show. How can we convey the information in a quick and easy layout?
What images are we going to choose? Is this a product which looks great and will excite in its own way or do we need to consider something more conceptual?
What supporting copy do we need to add? The best adverts are the ones that hit hard with a headline or clever visual to make an impact. Yes the supporting copy is important, but it often my job to make sure this doesn’t over power the design and dilute the message. We need to get them to call or visit the website which is where they will find more information.
It is also a good opportunity to see how that advert design could be utilised to form a supplementary digital media campaign or used for additional marketing material such as posters or flyers. Where is the added value?
If you want to see more examples of media campaigns that strike a balance between creativity and communication then drop me a line and I’ll get some ideas over to you.
Magazine Design and Advertorials
Magazine advertorials are also still a very popular way to communicate offers and help with brand awareness. These are often required to fit within a strict template to enable the publication to simply slip the advertorial in with their own copy. Getting this right is often down to communication between the designer and the publication. I’m more than happy to build this relationship to take the pressure off you so you don’t get caught in designer technobabble.
Organisations are also taking advantage of shared content magazines. This is where a publishing house produce a magazine and offer specific pages to business to populate. This is then tailored to be an in-house magazine for that organisation. The magazine is then produced on a large scale enable huge cost savings. These also come with strict templates and guidelines as they’re designed to look seamless between the shared content and the tailored content. An example of this is Beautiful Gardens magazine, an in-house publication produced via Haymarket Media. This magazine is written, printed and distributed by them, with 6 pages for tailored content from the centres to make it their own.
Direct Mailshots
Direct mailshots can still be a clever way to reach your audience and support your media campaign. These can either be fulfilled in-house or by a postal service and can be an effective way of targeting a specific group or location. These can also be designed to be used as inserts in a publications who will also provide printing from a supplied artwork file.
Recording and analysing
One of the great drivers for digital media is the availability of analytics. This has led to the major shift we see today away from businesses attempting an offline media campaign. There are ways to try and measure success of press activity.
Have you considered adding a voucher code or some other identifying mechanism? In this way print advertising and media can be a great way to record interest. Especially in a retail environment, you can add a unique code on an advert, specific to the publication and invite readers to bring the advert with them when visiting. A simple money off voucher, a giveaway or a competition will quickly help you identify which publications are working and where you need to concentrate your efforts.
The adverts could also work alongside your digital campaigns. Why not add a unique URL directing the readers to a unique landing page? The interest can they be tracked using online analytics to see where spikes in interest have taken place.
Another useful way to integrate offline advertising and media and online campaigns is through the use of QR codes. These can also be set up to direct to landing pages or tracking using their own statistics.
Advert Deadlines
Press advertising remains a deadline driven business. You will need a good creative advert designer who is able to respond quickly to opportunities that arise. With publications often desperate to fill space as the print deadline approaches, you will often find them offering great deals providing you can supply an artwork file within a few days, or even a few hours. A freelance graphic designer is often better placed to respond to these challenges that a traditional advertising agency who will charge heavily for the inconvenience. There is also no chain of communication found in an agency as I can speak directly to the publication about sizes, PDF artwork requirements etc without having to go through an account manager.
If you would like to discuss your media campaign and how I can help, please get in touch >