SELECTING AN ADVERTISING MEDIA

Most small and medium-sized businesses are very poorly served by print, radio and TV advertising because of the simple fact that in order to reach the people who are potential customers, they have to buy at least 4 or more times the circulation they need. Even direct mail, which does allow them to choose their own circulation, is so expensive ø one single mailing to 10,000 homes in their prime area can be replaced in Coffee News with 10,000 readers per week in that same prime area being reminded of their services every single week for an entire year!

The direct marketing media such as direct mail, postcard decks, telemarketing, newsletters, catalogues, infomercials, home shopping shows, e-commerce, canvassing, trade shows, and networking functions all work better when combined with advertising, and advertising works better when combined with direct marketing. Advertising without direct marketing makes a lot of noise (and vice versa), but noise doesn't generate profits.

In the early days of advertising, media selection was pretty much confined to newspapers. Magazines came next, offering exposure at first on a national scale only. Newspaper supplements followed, offering depth of local circulation along with the content and leisurely reading pace of magazines. The automobile turned out to be not only ideal transportation but also an ideal environment for listening to the radio. Already, radio had earned a large following in the nation's living rooms. Network television came onto the scene, changing everything and improving the effectiveness of advertising ø at least for advertisers who could afford it. Cable TV is turning the world of network TV topsy-turvy because so many small advertisers who could not afford TV advertising can now get on the tube and advertise like crazy.

Change in advertising has been going on as long as advertising's been going on, and advertising media will continue to change with developments such as interactive TV, home shopping shows, and electronic catalogues.

When selecting the media that will hit your target audience right where they live ø or work ø consider the environment in which your advertising will appear. Pick media that reaches your target audience and will provide the proper environment for the advertising you will create, advertising that fits the mood of the readers, listeners, or viewers.

Be sure that you do not fall into the trap of selecting a medium based upon the old measurement of "cost per thousand," but instead base your selection on the criterion of "cost per prospect." Do not fall prey to the statistics quoted by reps of a specific advertising medium. While the statistics are usually true, they are often misleading. To see how misleading, talk to a rep from a competing medium. And remember that there are three types of lies: dirty, white, and statistics.

And Now The Good News...

Think of this when considering the environment in which your Coffee News advertising works. The fact that Coffee News goes into restaurants is no accident. The susceptibility to ANY form of advertising is greatest just before or during eating, when the mind is at a peak of awareness. This is a throw-back to pre-historic times when you had to be most mentally alert when hungry and needing to find and/or capture food for your survival. It is for this reason that people eating alone in particular, will mentally devour, not just read Coffee News and its ads. There is a very real need for mental input -- food for thought during this time period, and Coffee News is designed to take full advantage of this increased awareness.

Also, when thinking about "cost per prospect", use these figures. A restaurant during the course of a day will average 100 to 2000 patrons, resulting in restaurant weekly circulations of two to three times the number of residents in the area. Using a lower average of, say 500, that would be 500 prospects PER DAY passing by your ad in the Coffee News stand in one location. If that edition is located in 30 restaurants, that's equal to 15,000 per day, or 105,000 per week!