Creative & Copywriting: Back to the Future

Size Matters ... But Not Like You Think
Andy Byrne also proved through testing that smaller is better for prospecting space advertising. That's not what most ad agencies would say because they're not as much fun to do and the commission is much lower, but it's the truth.

Andy would start running the smallest ads he could — a quarter page at the most — in multiple publications. After a few rounds he would measure the results and pare out the ads that weren't pulling enough response. Then he'd try the next size up for the publications that yielded the strongest results. This method kept the cost down so that the ads could be tested more frequently and in more media. Cahners Publishing tested this theory and found that quarter-page ads were far more cost effective than full-page ads, delivering almost as many inquiries as a full-page ad at a third of the cost per inquiry.

A few years ago I developed small space ads to run in The New Yorker for the Chakra Necklace, which had little polished natural stones on a black cord and was priced around $75. I developed a headline — "Rare, delicate beauty and elegance" — to generate curiosity. The copy suggested readers get one for themselves or for someone special. Even though the retailer had a website and landing page, 80 percent of the necklace's sales came via the phone because the space ad was so compelling.

The bottom line is unless you have enormous retail presence, a full-page space ad will be wasted. If you're like most cross-channel retailers out there, it's far more effective to run 10 black-and-white quarter-page ads than it is to run one full-page color ad.

Review the space ads you're placing now. What's the single thought you want consumers to have when they see your ad? Is there an offer? A deadline for the offer? If the ad is going to be in a magazine that typically stays with the reader for more than a couple of months (e.g., The New Yorker), this may not be possible. Is it clear what you want readers to do after looking at the ad? If you're not sure, don't hesitate to reach out for a quick critique. With a stronger campaign in place, make every ad dollar you spend work its hardest!

Carol Worthington-Levy is founder and creative director of Worthington-Levy Creative, a multichannel marketing creative consulting firm. Carol can be reached atcwl@worthington-levy.com.