A press campaign is a sub-category of the best-known advertising campaign, that is, a series of messages – strategically structured and coordinated – launched on different media to achieve a specific goal.
The target in question may be the launch of a new product or service, for example, but also an enhancement of brand awareness and so on. What interests us in this article is to explain how to advertise with a press campaign.
Press campaign: visible and effective means for brand awareness
By press campaign we mean an advertising action conveyed by the press. Target newspapers, magazines and periodicals represent an extremely effective means by virtue of the visibility they generate to the object of advertising. If you want to conduct (exclusively) a press campaign you have to orient yourself towards an advertising strategy called “mono media”, even if the agencies you consult, will almost always offer you a cross-media approach, which also involves others in your advertising campaign. Media and, of course, social media too. Much, of course, depends on the type of goal you want to achieve, the brand, the target. An expert will be able to advise you best in this respect. In addition, an advertisement in the press allows great communicative immediacy, ideal for embracing a large and / or heterogeneous audience (but this depends a lot on your target audience).
The 3 characteristics of a successful press campaign
There are three basic characteristics of a print advertising campaign that can achieve its goal. Already in the planning phase it is necessary to correctly identify:
- The correct language
- The opportune moment for the launch
- The best positioning (sector magazines, general press, periodicals with variable issue and related web versions)
As we have said, the press lends itself to hosting simple advertisements (intended as easy-to-read texts), with a clear message and attractive graphics, to capture the attention of even the distracted reader. The immediacy of communication is the strong point of an advertising campaign in the press.
When you are about to pack an advertising message via electronic advertising boards (or have it packaged by an agency) be careful to consider the following factors as priorities, mentioned by author of “Paper impact advertising”.
1) Stand out from the crowd
Do not give in to the temptation to insert your advertisement (which will naturally be paid), in the form of an advertising banner in the “advertisements” section of the chosen newspaper. Most readers skip those pages and you will have invested time and money for nothing (or little more)
2) Create eye-catching advertisements
We said: simple texts and captivating graphics (where possible and in relation to the budget and space available). Unless yours is an established company – even locally – putting the logo in the foreground makes no sense. To attract the attention of new customers, to affirm your business, to create awareness in your brand, do not put your unknown logo as the first visual element of advertising. The logo must be present, but discreetly
3) Hang up the reader
We live in the age of the internet and social networks, this is undeniable. But even if it may be advantageous for you to launch a press campaign, remember to “hook” the reader, referring it to your website (with a link or better yet with a QRCode), to your Facebook page , to a Landing Page with which can browse your company or your product and maybe stay in touch with you. Because only paper advertising may not be enough to hook a new customer.
At this point, someone might ask: is a press campaign or digital advertising better?
There is no correct answer. Perhaps the one that comes closest is “a mix of both”. However, even if the press campaign is decidedly more expensive than digital advertising, it offers undisputed advantages:
- It conveys simple messages
- The trade press offers an exclusive space for a sensitive target
- The authoritativeness of the medium (for example a noble newspaper or magazine) is partially transferred to the advertised product, making your company “credible”
- It is ideal if your target does not like the internet and technology in general (digitally borderline activities exist)
Nowadays, however, it is correct to consider the press campaign as complementary to an online advertising in a mix of channels that should characterize the media planning of all companies.
