Don’t Diss the Print Ad

In an age that prizes digital pop-ups and Facebook sound bites, The Gunn Report celebrates the art of the print ad.

The power of print

The Gunn Report, a publication that curates award-winning advertisements, has assembled 1,028 of the most artistic and admired print ads from the last 15 years into a visually powerful showcase of creativity called the “Power of Print.” The showcase categorizes the ads into 13 dramatic or informational formats that engage consumers creatively and effectively.

For example, one category is “Demonstrate the Need/Problem,” in which the advertiser recognized that the problem is much more dramatic than the solution. In the “Tell a Story” category, advertisers wrap the ad in a story that exemplifies the product’s usefulness — or the consequences of not having it.

[sidebar]Click here to watch Part 12 of the Publishing Excellence Series “The Argument for Print Advertising.”[/sidebar]

Art and creativity are essential to a print ad’s success. It must be extra powerful because it must be able to stand on its own. You don’t have the additional benefit of sound bits, pop ups, or other digital devices that can grab and hold the reader’s attention.

Print is simple, yet powerful. It’s not easy, but when it works, it’s magic!

Print advertising — getting advertisers on board

In “The Argument for Print Advertising,” part 12 of Sheridan’s Publishing Excellence Education video series, ad sales consultant Ryan Dohrn discusses the troubling trend of advertisers leaving print for digital-only operations and explains how magazine publishers can be prepared to fight for those advertising dollars.

Advertisers are listening to the chatter around social media and are willing to put their dollars there because they’ve heard from others how it can be successful. Sales people need to be prepared to create a strong conversation about print. Discuss with advertisers:

• Why social media might not be the right or only audience for their products or services.
• Why social media may not be as effective as they think (85% of Twitter users aren’t active daily).
• How expensive it is to stand out from others in a digital world.
• How social media changes daily while print remains stable.
• The fact that readers spend more time with print — 40 minutes compared with 1 minute on a website.
• How young people and your audience still read print magazines.

During your conversations with advertisers, it’s important not to downplay digital but to instead tout the benefits of print and explain how it can complement digital. You can get all Ryan’s insights by watching the full video.

[cta]Want to learn more about talking to your advertisers about print advertising? Contact your Sheridan representative, Susan Parente at susan.parente@sheridan.com, to learn how.[/cta]