MAPS Credit Union and the YMCA

Both of these ads appeared one on top of the other in the Salem Statesman Journal on Wednesday May 27, 2009. Neither of these ads is terrible, actually both are pretty OK, but the best thing about both of them has nothing to do with the contents of either.

These ads were at the top right hand corner of page 2. Granted this is not the premo premo position in the paper, but it certainly beats being buried on the bottom of the right hand side toward the back of the section. Thumbs up for position. Call your rep up and give him a pat on the back, and he can pretend he had something to do with it.

Both of these ads have solid plusses and minuses. Black and white and small are marks of either a flight plan or a limited budget or perhaps both. Did they get their money’s worth? Only they can say, but here are comments none the less:

MAPS

This ad has two strong points and two weaknesses: hook, eye, headless, and crowd. Let me explain grasshoppa.

Hook

On the strong side, Maps uses a tried and true hook to get people into their ad, a money offer, actually two offers or four offers if you want to count them all individually. The hook is “$100 off closing costs,” everyone likes to save money; no one wants to turn down $100. So thumbs up for the headline.

Headless

Here is the other side of the headline...Because what is below is so large, the headline itself has less impact, therefore the ad is somewhat headless. The design of the APR section is big and reversed so you have to rely on that to let people know they will save money on the interest and hope they see your money offer. Because of that the ad is somewhat headless.

Eye

The three APR rates are eye catching, their size and reverse will draw the eye to it first…are these rates good or not? Who knows, perhaps a professional. But if I were in the market for a house and was looking at these types of figures the 4.00% might make sense to me. So this ad is specifically targeted to homebuyers.

Crowd

Lastly, and probably the most important part is that the ad is simply crowded. This is particularly true at the bottom where the typeface drops below the size of the newsprint. This is the tension with small ads and required information; it is a juggling act. How do you get the information you need in the ad space, plus some sizzle. The problem is, when you put the APR rates in the ad, you have to disclaim. So, for the size of ad you have, it is a necessary evil. Sadly the only remedy to this problem is to either shrink the APR rates or grow the ad. Given the size, the ad is crowded yet clear.

I have yet to see a local bank run an ad that says, “WE ARE SOLVENT” or “NO TARP HERE” or “OPEN AN ACCOUNT AND GET YOUR OWN TARP” (then give new customers an actual tarp); that would be amusing and eye catching.

YMCA

I actually like this ad better than Maps. It is simple, clean, has a nice little photo of happy people (the photo is probably a little too small but it is fine for the size of the ad). Even smaller than the Maps ad, but I think communicates their purpose a little better.

It is generally believed that you should never open with a negative in a newspaper ad. The YMCA ad is a perfect example of how to do a negative headline…notice that their negative is actually a positive anyway. I like it, that offer should work; people really don’t like paying contracts at fitness clubs. So, well done.

I have only one observation and that is repeated information. YMCA is pushing thee points at the top: no contracts, no judgment, and no one turned away. Then they restate the three points in the reversed out section of the ad…it is also here that we discover that the program they are discussing is fitness. Then at the bottom they asterisk the last point again. Given the ad space, do we want to repeat these points 2 or 3 times?

The only change I suggest is to carefully consider the text inside the reversed out box. The text block is on large 20+ word sentence. Generally, in newspaper advertising, it is a good idea to stay away from long or complex sentences. If you broke the sentence into two and pushed fitness up towards the top of that reversed box, you would have probably a little more impact, it certainly would be a little quicker to read.

Cascade Surge 2009 Season Opening Pass

I wanted to start out with something positive; a clever marketing piece. Saturday afternoon I found one.

You can spend a lot of money on advertising, but still not have the affect you want because it misses your target audience or it is not timely or the offer is not attractive or it rains or a thousand other reasons.

On Saturday, the Cascade Surge, our local lower division soccer team was in the right place at the right time with the right message.

Every Saturday the Keizer Soccer Club plays host to a few hundred soccer players and their families. The Surge was there this Saturday with an awning, a chance for the kids to win a prize and the above business card sized coupon. It was a nice set-up visible to all entering or leaving the soccer fields, and even included their mascot, Sammy Surge.

The Surge got two things correct right away. They set up in the middle of soccer players and families. The game is only 7 days away from when they received the ticket. So the message got to their target market at the right time.

The ad itself is also pretty good; printed on glossy stock as a business card. This is something that people could go crazy about and spend more on printing than the Surge did: create a tri-fold for instance. Instead this business card size ticket does three things well: makes an agreeable and well targeted offer, clearly states its intent, and directs for more information.

Handing out a family ticket at a family venue to families is excellent. The clearly stated “Admit Four” should be appealing to their Keizer Soccer Club target audience. Their offer is a winner.

Clearly stating where and when the event will be held is half the battle and you’d be surprised at how many event type ads get printed with unclear locations, times, and circumstances. On this ticket you have May 15 on both sides. The time is clear and location as well as “Rain or shine” which is a good idea in the Pacific Northwest.

One of the most difficult things about the Surge is discovering when the games are played. The Statesman Journal’s coverage of the team is pretty spotty. Finding game times and dates can be difficult. Getting the Surge’s website into the hands of these parents is another smart move and one that is reasonably accomplished at the bottom of this card. Even if turn out is not overwhelming on the day, it doesn’t mean the advertising has not touched them, because they at least have access to the schedule.

It will be interesting to see how the promotion worked. To me it looked low dollar and highly targeted. On May 15 the Surge people should have a good idea of how many came back with the tickets. Hopefully they will have something planned for the Iris parade which happens on May 16 and draws a few thousand spectators to Keizer.

So that is my story for this week. A well done advertising piece and nothing but praise for the people who designed and implemented the ticket giveaway. I will be there on Friday night to see the game, so if the ad worked for me…then you know it’s good.

Introduction

OK so here we go.

I’m easing into this new endeavor with only a small amount of trepidation. I’ve known others who have blogged for years. My question for myself has always been, what will I write, that at the end people won’t ask, “Who Cares?” The answer is this blog, where people might still ask that question, but hopefully the answer will be more self-evident.

I started in advertising in 1989, and pretty much continually been involved in that industry ever since. In 20 years I have made a lot of people a lot of money using really simple and to me almost self-evident strategies. Over the next couple weeks, months, and if there is still interest, perhaps years, I will regularly show advertising on this blog, and discuss its strengths and weaknesses. Hopefully over time, some smaller businesses or those new to advertising and those looking for some creative ideas to promote their businesses or causes can use this blog as a resource.

Here’s to it.