Shoppers Still Turn to Newspapers

The 2001 National Report: Newspaper Advertising of ROP, Inserts and Coupons found that nearly two-thirds of consumers say newspapers are their primary source for advertising and shopping information in general. Among the study’s findings:

• Seven in 10 adults make a point of looking at newspaper inserts when they are in the market for something and three-quarters say they check the Sunday inserts to see what’s on sale. In addition, nearly two-thirds look through the inserts even when they’re not looking for something in particular.

• Consumers prefer preprint delivery via newspapers to direct mail by a 63 percent to 25 percent margin. And, more consumers use newspaper inserts than similar advertising delivered by mail; 70 percent of adults used newspaper inserts to plan shopping the past month, compared to 51 percent for direct mail.

• More than half of respondents said they look through most of the Sunday newspaper inserts.They are particularly encouraged to look at advertising beyond their regular stores when they want to compare prices, look for a particular product or check out a new store.

• Newspaper readers actively check ROP ads; 64 percent to see what’s on sale, 63 percent to comparison shop and 61 percent to get shopping ideas. In addition, 65 percent say ROP ads bring new product or local events to their attention, and more than a third say they often notice ads from stores where they don’t regularly shop.

• Half of consumers say they most often check advertising on Sunday, an answer almost universal among nearly all consumer groups.

• Almost two-thirds of consumers say newspapers are their primary source for advertising or shopping information in general. Further, for each of 10 major store categories measured, consumers report that newspapers are their primary advertising source.

The study is online at www.naa.org/marketscope/2001_Preprints_Study.pdf.

Making Ads That Stick Through

At a long-ago conference, I heard an ad agency executive from the Midwest compare advertising to a bed of nails.

The bed of nails trick used to be popular in magic shows. The magician would tear off his shirt and lie down on a slab of wood covered with thousands of nails. The audience would hold its breath, as he stretched out, then cheer when he stood up, unhurt.

Of course, we all know how this works. The nails are positioned so close together that no single nail supports enough weight to break the skin. The number of nails makes the trick appear dangerous, when in fact the number of nails makes it safe. But what would happen if the bed of nails had just one nail?

The agency executive mentioned that advertising works on the same principle. If an ad tries to say too much, it won’t make an impression. But if it makes just one point, it has a chance of breaking through to the audience. Although he was talking mainly about television advertising you could say the same about the newspaper.

Consider ad layout, for example. Not long ago, I saw a full page ad that had individual pictures of over 200 cars. It looked like an aerial photograph of a parking lot. Every column inch screamed for attention. But in trying to make everything important, that poor advertiser made nothing important.

Every ad should have a visual point of entry. Think of it as a single nail. Something that sticks through. There is power in simplicity.

As an experiment, pick up a newspaper and pretend you’re a reader. Don’t set out to read the articles. Just turn the pages to see what catches your eye. How much time do you spend on each page? Two seconds? Three seconds? Four? That’s how much time you have to grab a reader’s attention.        

There are four basic elements in a print ad: the headline, the body copy, the logo and some kind of illustration. The illustration has the best potential to become a graphic hook. Obviously, an ad with one picture will draw more attention than an ad with a dozen pictures. But in those cases when you use multiple illustrations, it will help to make one substantially larger than the others.

Ernest Hemingway summed it up when he said, "My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way." Hemingway was famous for the clarity of his writing. He understood the power of simplicity. And so should we. It works like magic.

Foust conducts advertising training for newspapers, press associations and advertisers. For information, contact: John Foust, PO Box 97606, Raleigh, NC 27624 USA, E-mail: jfoust@mindspring.com, Phone 919-848-2401.