Print advertisers: Here’s how to innovate

"We don't want to release a normal ad. We want an innovation. What can you guys do?" Print advertisers: here’s how to innovate

Every print salesman worth his salt has heard this statement from every media buyer that he's come across. And the resultant is a belly band, a gatefold, a reverse gatefold, a sticker on the cover. Sometimes, this "innovation" calls for a change in the paper grammage; sometimes it involves a die-cut. In the case of this magazine, as made abundantly clear in this issue, you can even get a false cover. And that's innovation? Sure, it is. "Innovations" such as these will, to some extent, cut through a cluttered magazine (or newspaper, when it allows it).

The question is, does innovation necessarily have to come from a physical differentiator, which is virtually all we see in Indian newspapers and magazines? Are there no other ways of getting your ad and message noticed? More importantly, are there no BETTER ways?

There are indeed: plenty of them. We looked far and wide, going through award winning ads from across the world for examples of clutter cutting innovations that did not need physical changes as a prerequisite. All the case studies and examples clearly suggest that to create path breaking, innovative print ads, the creative department, the media buying department and the media house concerned need to work in complete tandem. The effort involved is a lot more than is required for the common-or-garden variety, but the results are outstanding.

Judge for yourself. Let's take a look at a British Airways innovation. No requirement of a change of paper quality or a die cut or a fold: just relevant creative placed perfectly.

From time to time, we do see advertisers taking advantage of topical opportunities that newspapers and magazines present. Placement in the sports pages, the entertainment pages and so on are fairly common. But rarely do we come across placement opposite the business pages. Which is where British Airways chose to be when they wanted to target the successful businessman and inform him of their new arrivals lounge that featured a full body power shower, freshly cooked breakfast, a massage and suit ironing service. For businessmen, who are short of time and are tired of frequent flights, this lounge is a definite value addition with high appeal. Not so important to the other fliers (who won't spend as much time on the business page, but there is no doubt the corporate world would spend time on the content on the page opposite the ad.

Take a look at what Sky Sports did when faced with the problem of being branded a football channel. A series of ads highlighting non-football coverage on Sky used the simple device of the ball bursting into the article of the page opposite the creative. The impact is there for all to see. While on sports, it is apparent that topical communication is a formidable clutter breaker, albeit if the placement is perfect. The Mastercard ad reproduced here is an example of "getting personal" with communication. It is impossible for someone who is not a football fan to decipher the ad; but for a diehard Liverpool supporter, or, indeed, any serious football fan in the UK, the Mastercard ad is a masterpiece — in communication, topicality and placement. The ad is released on the day of the report of Manchester United ending a drought with a win in the Champions League. The "price list" refers to the contract amount of the two players involved in the match deciding moment of the Chelsea — Liverpool match and the cost of the ball. Whether the ball crossed the line or not (it was declared a goal) is still a matter of much debate. So what, then, is priceless in this Mastercard ad? "The fine line between success and failure".

To read the entire story, buy a copy of Impact Advertising and Marketing magazine dated October 3-9