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What Is a Print Advertising Campaign?
Jessica Ellis
Jessica Ellis
A print advertising campaign is a marketing program that focuses on printed advertisements. The most common types of print advertising include newspaper, magazine, and billboard advertisements. Local businesses and catalog-based companies frequently make use of direct mail and leaflet campaigns, which deliver advertisements directly to the door of consumers.
A newspaper-based print advertising campaign focuses on getting the attention of newspaper subscribers. Often one of the least expensive methods of marketing, newspaper ads offer cost-efficiency and the ability to promote products on a daily or weekly basis. If a store is having a special sale or event, a newspaper ad campaign may be an excellent way to spread the word, since advertisements can be placed in the days or weeks leading up to the event. Some newspaper ads also take the form of coupons, which allow users to bring the ad back to the store for a special discount or deal.
Magazine advertising is typically more expensive than newspaper ads, but allows a brand to make a dramatic impact. Full-page color advertisements are designed to grab the attention of readers with snappy visuals, recognizable brand logos, and eye-catching phrases. A print advertising campaign that utilizes magazines will typically tailor their ads to the demographic of a specific magazine; for instance, a fashion magazine might feature ads for clothing companies, cosmetic suppliers, and luxury cars.
Running a billboard print advertising campaign is a great way to reach a wide, varied audience in a specific region. Exciting visuals are very important with billboards, since potential customers may have only a few seconds to examine the advertisement before driving or walking out of range. In high-traffic areas, billboards can be quite expensive, and may stretch beyond simple print media into the world of digitally projected images. Nevertheless, if reaching as many people as possible is necessary to a print advertising campaign, renting billboards can be a worthwhile expense.
A direct mail print advertising campaign is very effective because customers cannot easily get away from it. By delivering a pizza menu, catalog, or even business card to a person's home or workplace, the chance of a successful connection with a customer is high. Local companies may allocate workers to go door-to-door, placing direct mail ads in mailboxes. Catalog stores or some corporations may create a mailing list of all previous customers in order to send them regular catalogs, special offers, and other marketing materials. While some people may feel overwhelmed by direct mail advertising, it is nevertheless an effective way to reach a local audience.
Jessica Ellis
With a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica is passionate about drama and film. She has many other interests, and enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics in her role as a WiseGEEK writer.
Learn more...
Jessica Ellis
With a B.A. in theater from UCLA and a graduate degree in screenwriting from the American Film Institute, Jessica is passionate about drama and film. She has many other interests, and enjoys learning and writing about a wide range of topics in her role as a WiseGEEK writer.
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![Newspapers provide a common, relatively inexpensive form of print advertising.]()
By: ScanrailNewspapers provide a common, relatively inexpensive form of print advertising. -
![Direct mail campaigns often use brightly colored envelopes because they catch the eye of the recipient.]()
By: Feng YuDirect mail campaigns often use brightly colored envelopes because they catch the eye of the recipient. -
![A newspaper's classified section is an important resource for print advertising campaigns.]()
By: Stephen VanHornA newspaper's classified section is an important resource for print advertising campaigns. -
![When placed along highways, interstates, and busy downtown streets, billboards use witty slogans and eye-catching images to attract the attention of drivers.]()
By: DavidWhen placed along highways, interstates, and busy downtown streets, billboards use witty slogans and eye-catching images to attract the attention of drivers. -
![Newspaper-based print advertising can help a business get the attention of those who read a particular newspaper regularly.]()
By: PetooNewspaper-based print advertising can help a business get the attention of those who read a particular newspaper regularly.
Discussion Comments
The major newspaper in our area doesn't deliver the weekday paper to smaller communities around the area anymore. They can get delivery of the Sunday paper but that is it. Everything else is done online. This upset quite a few older folks who might not even own a computer, but looked forward to reading the newspaper every day.
I am sure this has an effect on the print advertising dollars that companies spend. Even though there has been so many positive changes in the printing and graphics industry, it still cost a lot to pay for services like this.
My son works for a billboard company and they are converting many of their billboards into digital spaces to advertise. It costs more up front to do this, but over time, it saves them a lot of money.
They still reach the same amount of people, but it is so much easier to put up a new advertisement or rotate the ones they have when it is digital.
@LisaLou-- I agree with you, and see newspapers and magazines slowly fading away as a means of communication and advertising. One of my favorite craft stores had a coupon in the paper every week. Every week I cut out his coupon and put it in my purse just in case I had a chance to stop by.
A few months ago they started asking all of their customers for their email address. They said they were not going to be printing the coupon in the paper anymore and it was all going to be done electronically.
I don't mind getting direct mail marketing pieces in the mail. Many times they come with a good coupon or some kind of incentive to check out their business.
I have found some great new restaurants this way and have also visited some retail stores that I might not have gone to otherwise. I know that word of mouth is probably the most effective way of advertising, but I think print advertising is still effective.
I just wonder how much longer companies will spend as much money on print advertising like this. With so many people using the computer and social media outlets, I think more companies are spending money on online advertising than print advertising anymore.
I am one of those people who feel overwhelmed with the amount of mail I get. Usually I see direct mail marketing as junk mail and don't even look at it. After I pick up my mail at the mail box, I stop by the trash bin and get rid of anything that looks like junk mail, and that includes direct mail marketing leaflets.
This must still be an effective way for companies to attract new customers or they would probably quit spending their marketing dollars on print advertising like this.
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