Advertising Tips and Tricks

Weeklies are the only media outlet that people read for the editorial content as well as the advertising printed in their pages. According to the results of the 2007 StatHebdo© survey, close to 60% of readers of weeklies consult their newspaper to plan their weekly purchases.

Here are some tips and tricks to boost visibility and retention for your advertising campaigns in weeklies.
Left-hand page or right-hand page?
The consensus emerging from a variety of studies on this topic is that impact differs very little depending on whether an advertisement is placed on a left-hand or a right-hand page.

In 2004 survey by the firm Totum Research on behalf of the Canadian Newspaper Association, identical ads were published on left-hand and right-hand pages in selected newspapers, and a questionnaire was subsequently administered to a focus group. The left-hand page was chosen as the basis for reference/comparison and assigned an index of 100. The conclusions are summed up in the diagram below.

The results reveal that when the ad was placed on a right-hand page, the recall rate was only 5% greater than that recorded when the ad was on the let, while 3% more respondents correctly associated the ad with a given advertiser. Note that these variations fall within the margin of error of the survey; therefore the variations observed are not statistically valid. 

Top of page or bottom of page?
According to a survey by the firm Ipsos-Descarie for Hebdos Québec, advertisements placed at the bottom of a page generate slightly higher recall than those at the top.

Horizontal or vertical format?
The same Ipsos-Descarie survey revealed that vertical ad formats have slightly higher impact that horizontal formats; i.e., the recall rate is higher.

Should I take out a full-page ad?
Studies tend to prove that the larger the ad format, the bigger the impact. Moreover, buying nearly a full page (70% to 90% of the entire page area) does not appear to be as effective as buying a full page. Experts therefore recommend opting for a full-page format, even if it means sacrificing one issue of a near-full page and reinvesting the resulting savings in the full-page formAt least a quarter page?
The Ipsos-Descarie survey shows that advertisers must choose a minimum format of a quarter-page to generate notable impact. In addition, for maximum advertising benefits, the campaign should consist of four quarter-page ads, either within a single issue or over four consecutive weeks.

Three thirds, four quarters...
The Ipsos-Descarie survey also reveals that two half-page ads, three one-third-page ads or four quarter-page ads generate a recall rate equivalent to that of one full-page placement.

What about color?
Adding colour to an advertisement boosts recall by 34%. You do not, however, have to print an ad in four process colours to achieve a higher recall rate. It is important, though, to choose red, orange, yellow or pale green hues, and avoid browns or navy blues, which will not offer enough contrast with black when only one colour is used.

Consumers read advertising copy more often if it is place below or to the right of the illustration. Visual elements such as photos, drawings and graphs are more often read when they are placed in the upper left-hand of the advertisement.