Print Ads

Imagine Apple without the apple, or McDonalds without the golden Arches. Talk to a person

Overview

There is an intangible quality to physical media that gives off a feeling of legitimacy and credibility. It is a key reason why the art of print advertising has survived so long. Print mediums such as newspapers and magazines may be on the decline, but that doesn’t mean print ads have stopped being effective. Print isn’t dead, it is simply adapting to the times.

Benefits

Print ads have the advantage of tradition and well-established industries behind their medium. By advertising in a publication, the values of the publication's brand are affixed onto your company and product. For instance, seeing an ad for a wristwatch in Time magazine would lead to you believe that the watch is a luxury item simply by association. That is the strength of print ads; the ability to use the medium as a weapon and not just a platform. When used correctly, a well-placed print ad allows you to:

FAQS

Modern print advertising tends to be more of a focused marketing approach rather than an effort to appeal to a mass audience. It is about sending a clear message to a receptive, pre-defined demographic and eliciting a response. Print ads exist in a variety of different formats and each format has its own strategic goals. They can appear in the form of newspaper or magazine ads, direct mail, or catalogs. Whatever the form, the ultimate goal of a print ad is to engage a targeted audience and incite them to take action.

Print ads are important if only for the fact that print media still holds sway over a good amount of the public. When it comes down to it, print is a more trusted source than online media. What sounds more legitimate; The Top 5 Restaurants in Calgary, published in a respected culinary magazine, or the same article but on a website? Print ads also have the unique advantage of being able to leverage the strength of their medium. This can take the form of utilizing readership demographics, capitalizing on the “halo effect”, or reaching engaged consumers.

Print advertisement is a versatile form of marketing that can help you reach a number of promotional goals. If any of these challenges apply to your company, then print ads might be just what you need:

• You need help establishing your credibility
• Your customer engagement rate is low
• You want to target a niche market
• You have no offline presence
• You want to expand your local presence

Effective use of print advertising requires careful planning and research. Not only do you have to understand your own audience, you must understand the audience of the publication you’re advertising in.

While print media is on the decline, it is by no means dead and still holds an influential place in our society. In fact, the decline of print media has opened up new opportunities for advertisers. The steady shrinkage in readers has lowered the cost of placing ads and made print advertising financially viable. While less readers means less people viewing your ad; it does mean that the readers who remain are thoroughly engaged. These remnants are more likely to be receptive to your marketing efforts. Print isn't dead, but gone are the days where you can slap a full page ad onto a magazine and call it a day. Modern print advertisements need to be strategically placed and leverage the strengths of their medium in order to succeed.

Print Advertisement is a wide field and the possibilities for creating new forms of existing media are always on the horizon. Some of the more common projects we have worked on include:

• Magazine Advertisements
• Newspaper Advertisements
• Direct Mail
• Newsletters
• Catalogues

Print ads are a visual experience and there are a lot of elements that need to come together to create a compelling picture. An effective print ad is comprised of 3 main elements: the Message, the Imagery, and the Call to Action.

The Message:
The most important part of designing a print ad is knowing what message you want to send to your audience. What values does your company and product offer to them? What is the unique selling proposition for your product or service? The Message needs to be clear and succinct. If it gets too complex or convoluted, it will be lost on the consumer.

The Imagery:
The imagery comprises the majority of your ad. It is the herald of your intent; it is what brings your message to life. Good imagery is the right selection of color schemes, typography, and graphics that work together to form a captivating visual. Great imagery takes into account the preferences of your audience and uses visuals that they can relate to and connect with.

The Call To Action:
Having a beautiful picture that tells your audience your product is the best is all well and good, but it means nothing if they don't do anything. The Call to Action is exactly that; it tells the consumer to take action. This can take the form of directing them to your website, following you on social media, or simply buying your product.

The ideal answer is to have both forms of marketing, as they complement each other well, but that may not always be an option. It is enticing to forgo physical media, due to the wide reach and perceived low cost of online marketing. However, if we are talking about the value of investment, then print ads make a strong case for viability. Online marketing may seem like an inexpensive option but when handled casually, it exists only as a platform; a platform that no one visits. With print ads you are getting a focused marketing effort. You are reaching out to a defined audience and sending a simple message with a simple call to action. Print advertisement is an active marketing effort that pushes consumers to action, rather than waiting for them to come to you.

That is entirely up to you. If you have a trusted, in-house graphics team that can produce exactly what you want, we will be more than happy to work with your design. If you prefer to hand over the reins to us, we have a team of proven graphic designers and copywriters who are ready to deliver. At Arc Reactions, we have years of experience working in the print industry. We know what works and what doesn't, so feel free to benefit from our experience and let us know how we can help.

As with outdoor ads or graphic design projects, the best thing you can do to help is come with a solid idea of:

Your Company
Understanding your company's values and beliefs will give us an idea of what kind of imagery to use. We want your print ad to be the best representation of your business, and understanding your brand is the first step to achieving that.

Your Target Audience
Having a clear picture of who it is you want to target can simplify the process. It allows us to narrow down the publications for you to advertise in, to the ones that share similar characteristics with your audience. It can also help in deciding imagery, or what tone of voice to use.

Your Message
The crux of the print ad is the message you want to send. Everything that goes in your print ad has to have a unifying message, so knowing what that message is greatly expedites the design process.

Calculating the value of your print ads is a relatively simple task if you include an appropriate call to action. Common measurable calls to action can include the use of QR codes, social media links, or coupon codes.

QR Codes:
QR Codes are pictures that when scanned with a mobile device direct you to a specific website. Users coming in from QR codes are easily identified, and provide useful metrics for further analysis.

Social Media Links:
Including links to your social media on your print ads as a call to action can have a noticeable effect on the number of followers, shares and likes you get.

Coupon Codes:
Perhaps the easiest way to track print advertising success is to include coupon codes. Having a specific coupon code for your promotional campaign allows you to track how many sales have resulted from your print ads.

By analyzing metrics like these you can start to quantify the value of your advertising efforts and see how effective print ads really are for you.

Latest From Print Ads

We're Here To Help

Are you ready to create something amazing? Have questions about design or promoting your business? We’re happy to help!

There are lots of ways to get in touch with us. You can find us on social media via the links below. Or, if you’re feeling formal, fill out the form to the left and we’ll get back to you shortly.

info@arcreactions.com

Calgary

104 – 1240 Kensington Rd. NW, Suite 323 Calgary, AB, T2N 3P7

Toronto

720 King St. West, Suite 317 Toronto, ON, Canada M5V 3S5

India

416, Krishna Apra Plaza, Sector 18, NOIDA, NCT of Delhi

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