Application Mxu

Neither the checklist itself nor these notes are a time line. Many of the items must be done at the same time rather than sequentially. For instance, numbers 5 through 8 plus 18 are first decided, then worked on simultaneously.

5. Message. This tells the writer what is to be said, not how to say it. The actual wording is the job of the writer in #9.

6. Benefits. The benefits keyed to the audience in #4. If none of those benefits seem particularly suited to that group, the choice of those benefits and why that particular audience was targeted must be reconsidered.

7. Headline. The headline's subject, not its wording. Pick the one thing most likely to attract the target audience; usually the key benefit from #6.

8. Offer. Make the offer a major reason to get the advertised product or service from you and to do it now, especially if a competitor's options are available. As the advertiser, do not be afraid to echo your competition. If you can't do better, at least stay even. Note that the offer can appear anywhere in the ad as long as the design gives it such prominence that it can't be missed.

9. Writer. The checklist shows the person who appoints the writer.* If certain things must be said in a specific way, let the writer know before he or she begins . . . and whether this is a legal constraint or a management decision. If the latter, management should be willing to at least consider alternatives.

10. Designer. The person responsible for choosing the designer.* Good designers often surprise, so do not be hasty to say no to what you may not like at first sight. It is the designer's job to know how to appeal visually to the targeted audience. All of us, and especially the younger generation, are becoming more visually oriented. Designers are right more often than they are wrong.

11. Colors. The use of color in newspaper and magazine ads almost always gains readership. So does size. If dollars are set and you must choose one of the two, ask each media representative for facts and figures on which works better in their specific medium. If still undecided, pick color. For low-cost, striking effects, ask about "spot color," the use of any amount of a single color; just so it does not cover the entire ad.

12. Typesetter. For advertising that requires design skill, use professional typesetting. Limit in-house desktop typesetting to straightforward flyers, reports, and other simple-to-create projects.

13-14. Photography/art. Both who selects the photographer and/or artist and who gives the technical as well as the aesthetic instructions (not necessarily the same person!). Unless the person doing or given the assignment is an expert in art reproduction for newspapers and/or magazines, discuss this with the filmmaker in #16 before any photography or art is ordered (For instance learn about shooting photos for "contrast" or "detail" and what the disk and/or the camera can and cannot "see.") Much more about this is included in the Prepress Checklist.

15. New art. "New art," formerly called "camera ready," is the all-inclusive term for illustrations, photography, and type put into position to create the ad. Once digitized it becomes an electronic file. It is the last chance to change anything at relatively low cost. It includes every instruction to the disk producer or filmmaker in writing. If another department or an outside service or agency does this, the person who assigned the project goes over it with them. For major projects, the disk producer or the filmmaker should be present also. Everyone involved must understand the instructions and understand them the same way.

16. Disk/Film. Preparation of preprinting disk or film also includes proofs (photographic copies of what the printed ad will look like) for final approval, as well as for each publication. The proof is checked against every instruction on the original art to make certain it has been followed. It is literally checked off so nothing is overlooked. Equally important, the proof is examined to see whether those instructions make sense in what is seen now. Newspaper advertisements seldom are as "sharp" (clear) in print as on the proof. If for any reason the ad is hard to read on the proof, it will probably be impossible to read when printed. The original instructions must also specify how many proofs and what kind will be needed. Each medium's rate card has this information. Most ask for one proof; some want more.

*Here as elsewhere in these assignments, the person making the appointment and depending on skill and time available, may choose himself or herself, as well as someone else.

17. Shipment. Let the prepress firm ship the film to its destination—even if it is across the street from your office. That is part of their know-how and their responsibility!

18. Media. Does the focus of the media match the target audience focus in #4? If not, why this selection—unless it is the only paper in town? If there is no good medium for what you are advertising, use what is available . . . and work on building a mailing list.

19. Dates. Differentiate among the four key dates in making magazine selections:

A. Closing date. The date by which ad space must be reserved (ordered) for the ad to appear in a specific issue.

B. Mechanical date. When the material from which the ad will be printed—usually digitized, sometimes film, or new art—must be at the publication. If art is required, check with the publication to learn exactly what they mean by this term.

C. Cover date. The date printed on the publication's cover.

D. Out date. The dates on which the magazine will be mailed and when it will appear on newsstands. These may be up to a week apart.

20. Size. Have a reason for the size of the ad. Note that it often costs less overall to create a single larger ad and use it everywhere than to pay for the creation of smaller versions for less important and less expensive media.

21. Space cost. Dramatic discounts are possible when someone advertises fairly frequently in the same medium. Almost all publications combine "space" with "frequency" discounts to make it possible to run more advertising at lower per-ad cost. The media buyer, the person responsible for purchasing the space, should ask media representatives about "rate holders," the smallest ads accepted by a medium, and whether there are any other ways to save. Since media representatives may not be able to negotiate rates other than those given in their rate card, check with the media buying services found in major city Yellow Pages about the possibility of negotiated rates!

22. Notification. Notify or confirm orders, including telephone orders, to each medium by fax or mail. Use a reservation form similar to the one shown in Figure 2.8. Although reservation on a purchase order or letterhead is accepted by practically everyone, the use of a media form gives a better assurance that all pertinent instructions will be covered.

23—29. Mechanical checks. Someone has to be responsible for checking each of these items before anything may be printed. Make sure that the responsible person does check them and signs off in writing. In many organizations, the logo—the organization's name, address, and telephone number—is stored in its own computer file, and must be used from that art. It is an excellent safety measure, providing every such file is corrected when there is a change. Experience shows that practically no one really checks logos. Wise advertising directors make themselves the exception.

30. "As run" copy. Some one person must be responsible for maintaining a file of all ads "as run"; that is, as they actually appeared in each publica-

Figure 2.8 Typical reservation form for newspaper and magazine space. For radio and television, use a Media Reservation form.

tion. The printed copies should be used for this file. Normally, only a single copy of the page on which the ad appears accompanies the invoice—even when the advertiser requests two or three. So if accounting must see the printed ad before a medium is paid, let them see the original as proof, thank them for their care, and leave with them a reproduced copy "for the record."

Continue reading here: Yellow Pages As A Mirror Of A Market

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