TOP NOTCH ADVERTISING SIMPLE RULES FOR EFFECTIVE ADS b y Scott Toney, Midwood Japanese Chin
H aving spent almost 20 years as a commercial marketing execu- tive for a major bank, I have come to understand the value of an ef- fective marketing and advertising campaign. A comprehensive mar- keting campaign is a multi-pronged endeavor encompassing advertis- ing, public relations, media relations and community involvement, to name but a few. For the purposes of this article let’s examine the role of print advertising, and how you can ramp up the impact of your ads in v arious publications. PRINT VS. ONLINE ADVERTISING It’s no secret in the internet age that online publications and advertising have replaced many of our beloved publications including newspapers, periodicals and breed magazines. Internet advertising can reach a broader audience for less money, but it’s important to remember that the impact of an online ad can
be fleeting. For example, if an online ad has a clickable “call to action” like directing you to a 20% off coupon or a website where you can purchase goods or services, it is very effective, but also very temporary. For the type of meaningful, lasting impressions we are trying to make as dog breed- ers and exhibitors, nothing replaces advertising in print. BENEFITS OF PRINT ADVERTISING There is no better way to target a specific or narrow audience than print advertising. As dog breeders/ exhibitors, we are fortunate thawt we can send our message to as broad or narrow an audience as we like. For example, we can market in all-breed (Showsight) , Toy (Top Notch Toys) or specific breed publications (The Ori- ent Express) making our audience as broad or as narrow as we’d like. Print ads not only target your specific audience but are sustainable (publi- cations are permanent records, and
often valued reference guides), de- livered to loyal readers and can be repeated as often as you’d like. Your message can evolve from month-to- month as the story, history and wins of your dog grows. SOME SIMPLE RULES TO FOLLOW • Develop a look and feel for your “brand” and stick to it. As stated, you can create sustained impact by advertising on a monthly basis.
“PRINT ADS NOT ONLY TARGET YOUR SPECIFIC AUDIENCE but are sustainable...”
48 • T op N otch T oys , J anuary 2019
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