I always go through the newspapers and magazines each week, looking for interesting articles, client ads, competitor ads and new business leads. Good ads, terrible ads – whatever sparks my interest.
I inherited this habit from my old boss who couldn’t read a newspaper without tearing out a page or two, ready to send a handwritten note (not necessarily a complimentary one!) to whoever grabbed his attention.
A recent insert in Homes & Gardens caught my eye, but for all the wrong reasons. This is a beautiful magazine with a mature, affluent readership. This month, a lovely supplement, Savvy Style, full of ideas and inspiration for the home and outside space contain a range of inserts including Gtech lawn mowers and a Naked Wines voucher, both ideal but also..Argos Gamer catalogue with Super Mario on the cover; 16 pages of games and tech aimed at who? Well, I’m not sure but I would have thought that the market for this would be very much online and surely not a Homes & Gardens reader?
The insert itself is dated, reminding me of the old ring tone ads. I noticed the same insert also ran in Country Homes & Interiors so obviously a deal has been done with Future across their range of titles – but with the rising cost of print and a focus on all things eco, this seems pretty wasteful. I am all for stand-out but this just feels out of place.
When planning a campaign, it’s essential to be more careful now than ever. Package deals are great and they can get the overall CPT down, but they still need to be based on common sense and good value. There is every need for a tailored creative that will resonate with the target audience.
Surely the ‘one size fits all’ approach has had its day?
Alice Buttling, MD & Media Director