How to Conceptualise Successful Print Ads?

Remember the ‘Nirma Girl’ in her skater frock? A sizeable part of the population probably may not. Much of our life has moved to the digital space of social media, and targeted online advertising seems to rule the roost. But does that mean print advertising isn’t relevant anymore? Not by a long shot!

A recent study found that the effectiveness of print media trumps digital ads by having an action-oriented impact on the consumer’s brain.

So, let’s see what goes into conceptualizing a successful print campaign:

• Catch the eye: Print ads are visual mediums and they need to be striking whether they are inside a magazine or on a hoarding. Remember to include, catchy headline, art and graphics, and white space. No one wants to decipher busy and cluttered ads.
• Keep it simple: As always, less is more is the mantra. Print ads need to capture the attention of potential customers and persuade them to remember your brand. And the key to it is simplicity. Advertising agencies, therefore, insist on carrying one message only and get to the point fast.
• It isn’t about you: Target the audience and don’t showcase your own achievements, or value, etc. Your print ad should target ‘their’ needs and solve ‘their’ problems.
• Tell them what to do: DO NOT forget to end your ad with a call for action. Direct your customers to their next step, for e.g. ask them to buy within the week to avail extra discount.

When advertising and digital agencies develop a campaign for print media, they know that print advertising:

• Have clearly defined, targeted audience due to relevant positioning in magazines and other publications.
• Make the most sense when there is a physical presence of a customer. Retail hoardings in crowded places, Med-Claim ads near or inside clinics, etc.
• Requires better and complete engagement while digital content is mostly browsed in between other activities.

The option to ‘unsubscribe’ has given the print a new power. However, it is also true that print encourages and entices customers to interact with the brand online. A complementary balance between the two is the correct multi-dimensional approach because customers respond better to a combination of mediums.

Thus, as marketing strategies evolve we are witnessing how digital and physical worlds in business and consumerism are merging through magazine and print ads. With consistent branding and targeted messaging, print advertisings and digital campaigns can engage customers with a complementary strategy both offline and online.