Making Your Advertising $ Count

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="133285a1erlcgo.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Highland Llamas</B></FONT><B>    </B><B> |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Highland Llamas"><B>home</B></A><B>          </B><A HREF="id48.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Published Articles"><B>Published Articles</B></A><B>         </B><A HREF="id57.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Marketing"><B>Marketing</B></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id61.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Leveraging Your Marketing $ part one">Leveraging Your Marketing $ - part one</A>   |   <A HREF="id62.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Leveraging Your Marketing $ part two">Leveraging Your Marketing $ - part two</A>   |   <A HREF="id80.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Distributing Your Llamas">Distributing Your Llamas</A>   |   <A HREF="id59.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Advertising Today">Advertising Today</A>   |   <B>Making Your Advertising $ Count</B>   |   <A HREF="id81.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Promoting a Stud Before He Comes of Age">Promoting a Stud Before He Comes of Age</A>   |   <A HREF="id64.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Farm Ranch Displays">Farm & Ranch Displays</A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="132d2c00dkelyh.png"> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 width="100%" BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B>Making Your Advertising $ Count</B></I></div> <div> <I>by Dan and Marilyn Milton</I> </div> <bR> <div> Advertising is Salesmanship<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Advertising is prepared in the same demanding way you would pitch a prospective buyer of your llamas and alpacas or a user of your services. Your advertisement should:</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Attract</B> the attention of your target audience in your headline or opening remarks.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">State</B> your offer in the purchaser's terms -- "What's in it for me?"</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Develop, support and present</B> the details of your offer and the reasons why the prospect should embrace it.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Finally, tell</B> the prospect how to act -- what to do next.</div> <bR> <div> Each advertisement should make a complete and compelling case for what you are selling or the service you are providing. Advertising creates a sense of value -- the reader's perception of value.</div> <bR> <div> Many marketers scorn long, "reader-type" advertisements and opt for short, abstract, cutesy advertising. Remember that advertising is salesmanship. Would you stop your presentation to a prospective buyer in mid-stride? Would you make less than a complete and compelling case? Would you not ask the prospect to make a buying decision -- to act, if you will? Would you be flippant, cute, or ambiguous in the way you communicate? Of course you would not!</div> <bR> <div> People want to buy if they are told in advance that what is being advertised is something that they really might consider buying. It opens their minds -- puts them in a ready state to decide; by just giving information they do not perceive that they are expected to buy.</div> <bR> <div> When someone begins reading an advertisement, they should know it is an advertisement. They have already decided that they are at least willing to read it, which means you have screened out all the other people who are not.</div> <bR> <div> A common mistake businesses make is tiring of their advertising campaign long before the market does. <I>Caution</I> -- if you change advertising campaigns in midstream, you:</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Do not let</B> the cumulative effect of a winning concept work for you -- it is akin to interest compounding.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Do not allow</B> the dynamics of testing work for you.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Make a</B> patchwork quilt of your farm/ranch's image and persona.</div> <bR> <div> What Form Should Your Ads Take?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Ads may take many <I><B>forms</B></I>. The most common include:</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Classified </B>- contains a description of what is for sale or the service which is offered, the price and how to contact the seller. Appears within specific categories in one section of the publication. Sold by number of words or column inches.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Business Card</B> - an image of your farm/ranch's business card. Appears anywhere in the publication. Sold on a fixed price basis.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Display</B> - contains a full description of what is for sale and why. Lists the benefits to the buyer. May indicate the price. States how to contact the seller. Tells the buyer what to do next. Sold by the partial or full page (e.g., 1/3, 1/2, full) -- by horizontal or vertical placement on the page.</div> <bR> <div> What Types of Ads are There?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> There are two <I><B>types</B></I> of advertisements: <I>Institutional</I> and <I>Direct Response</I>.</div> <bR> <div> Most advertisements are institutional-type advertising. Institutional advertising typically tells you how great or stable an advertiser is, or some other non-compelling statement. It seldom conveys any reason for the reader to favor the advertiser. It seldom makes a case for the product or service advertised.</div> <bR> <div> By contrast, direct response advertising is designed to evoke an immediate response, or action -- a visit, a call or a purchasing decision from the reader. Direct response advertising tells a complete story. It presents specific reasons, for example, why your breeding operation or service, is superior to all others, on a factually supported basis, as opposed to the mere inference used in institutional advertising.</div> <bR> <div> Where Should You Place Your Ads?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> This depends a lot on the goals you have set for your marketing program. Are you selling to the existing llama/alpaca community or are you concentrating mainly on new people? Are you selling into the local area or nationwide?</div> <bR> <div> Advertising may be placed in specific media either within the llama/alpaca community or outside it. When using media within the community, the ad is usually slanted to selling llamas/alpacas or providing services to current owners/breeders. Ads placed outside the llama/alpaca community are usually slanted to new people.</div> <bR> <div> Within the llama/alpaca community, ads may be placed in any of the national magazines, sales catalogs or association newsletters. Outside the community, ads to the public may be placed in national, regional or local media. National media could include one of the livestock journals or a national magazine like <I>Outdoors</I> or <I>Sunset,</I> which is ideal for offering packing services into one of the national parks. Regional media might include a statewide newspaper or magazine (e.g., <I>Pacific Northwest</I>, <I>Oregonian</I>). On a local basis the media could include the local or county newspaper for classified advertising, a local magazine, and radio or television 30/60-second spots.</div> <bR> <div> What Should Your Display Ad Contain?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> When composing and laying out your ad, there are many considerations within each of the following:</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Slogan</B> - <I>a catchy phrase for your product or service that is easily remembered and descriptive of the benefits your product or service offers.</I></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Picture</B> - <I>the image you would like the reader to have of your advertising message; B&W or color.</I></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Message</B> - <I>that which will convince the reader to act on your offer; contains headline, opening remarks, body and closure -- what you are selling, how it benefits the reader, why the reader should buy and what to do next.</I></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Graphics </B>- <I>the appearance of your ad (i.e., how it strikes the readers eye -- attracts him to the ad); should be consistent from ad to ad for easy recognition.</I></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Logo </B>- <I>your company image -- that which people will remember and relate to you.</I></div> <bR> <div> Importance of the Message<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> We cannot stress too highly the importance of your advertising message. Do not concentrate too much on layout and picture and skimp on the message. You will not only shortchange the reader but you will shortchange yourself on the number of responses you will get to your ad.</div> <bR> <div> The ad message has many purposes including:</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Education </B>- <I>especially for new people.</I></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Promotion</B> - <I>your image, reputation, sire, sire's offspring and females.</I></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Sales pitch </B>- <I>a simple and honest message stating what you are offering and why, how it will benefit the buyer and what action the buyer should take.</I></div> <bR> <div> Headlines / Opening Remarks<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Nine out of ten businesses do not use headlines, or an opening sentence, to state their sales pitch, in their magazine advertisements or direct mail pieces. A headline or opening sentence is "the advertisement for the advertisement" and is 80% of its success or failure. It gets the person to read the advertisement.</div> <bR> <div> Lets look at examples of both ineffective and effective headlines or opening remarks, as follows:</div> <bR> <div> <B>"EVERYONE SHOULD USE BREEDING SERVICES"</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"THE BEST PROVIDER OF BREEDING SERVICES"</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"HAVING PROVIDED BREEDING SERVICES FOR TEN YEARS..."</B></div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I>versus</I></div> <bR> <div> <B>"If You Live on the West Coast and Demand Outstanding</B> <B>Conformation, Disposition and Fiber in Your</B> <B>Breeding Program, We Can Solve Your need</B> <B>with Our Traveling Studs"</B></div> <bR> <div> <B>"Are You Tired of Hauling Your Females Up and Down</B> <B>the West Coast to Get Them Bred? Call Us,</B> <B>and We Will Bring Our Studs to You"</B></div> <bR> <div> What do the first group of headlines or opening remarks say to, or instill in, the readership? What will the reader remember from them? Nothing -- they are ineffective. In the second group, the reading audience is:</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Targeted</B> -- <I>only people on the West Coast.</I></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Told</B> what the benefits/results will be -- <I>outstanding conformation, disposition and fiber in your breeding program; not having to haul your females to the stud for breeding.</I></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Told</B> what the advertiser will do -- <I>bring the studs to the female.</I></div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Requested</B> to act -- <I>call us.</I></div> <bR> <div> How Might Your Offer Benefit the Buyer?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> How the buyer will benefit from accepting your offer should be stated in terms of the results the buyer will achieve. Benefits should be very specific. They may include:</div> <bR> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Provide the buyer more enjoyment.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Allow the buyer to achieve his goals.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Allow the buyer to be more competitive.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Provide some financial gain from the transaction.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Allow the buyer to upgrade the quality of his herd.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Allow the buyer to change the direction of his breeding program.</div> <bR> <div> In preparing your advertisements, test your headlines and copy. If you do not, you may be losing many times the number of existing customers you can resell or the number of prospective buyers you can sell.</div> <bR> <div> With the fundamentals out of the way, let's hear what the experts in the field of advertising have to offer based on their many years of consumer research.</div> <bR> <div> Getting More Ad Inquiries<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> If you want to get more inquiries from your ads, according to Bob Bly (note 1):</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Instruct</B> people to phone or write for whatever reason. It might be for some literature about your farm/ranch and the animals that are for sale or the breeding services you offer.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Offer</B> free information -- such as a pamphlet on llamas for prospective owners.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Use words</B> that imply value for the literature that you'll be sending. "A Guide to Breeding Services" is better than "Breeding Contract."</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Include</B> a telephone number in your ad in extra-large type. Include a small sketch of a telephone next to the phone number.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">If using</B> a full-page ad, use a coupon. It increases response from 25 to 100 percent. <I>Example:</I> Use a coupon to offer a $100 discount on breeding services during the off season in your area.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Give the </B>reader multiple-response options, for example:</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c002d00f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">I'd like to see information sheets on your animal for sale.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c002d00f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Call me about breeding services.</div> <div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c002d00f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Send me a free pamphlet on the benefits of llama ownership.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">For an</B> ad that's one-half page or less -- use a heavy dashed border around the ad. This makes the entire ad look like a coupon and stimulates response.</div> <bR> <div> Tips to Prompt Results<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Advertising heavyweight, David Ogilvy (note 2), suggests the following tips to help prepare ads that prompt results:</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Don't be</B> afraid of long copy. Assume it's the only chance you'll have to sell your product to that reader.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Avoid tricky</B> headlines that will confuse the reader. Prepare headlines that appeal to the reader's self-interest.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Get straight</B> to the point. Be specific and factual.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Include</B> testimonials. Many readers are quicker to believe the endorsement of a fellow customer than the puffery of an anonymous copywriter.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Use headlines</B> that quote somebody.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Communicate</B> helpful advice to the reader.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Use headlines</B> of 10 words or more. They consistently sell better than short headlines.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Use photographs</B>. They sell more than drawings. Photographs represent reality. Drawings do not.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Test everything.</B> Test your headlines, your ad size, and your offer.</div> <bR> <div> Not only do the experts let us know how to write ads that will produce results, they also provide some well researched guidelines as follows, on the attributes of effective ads and the impact they have on those reading them.</div> <bR> <div> Black-and-White Ads Can Work<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Many black-and-white ads are as powerful as full-color ads, according to research conducted by <I>Starch Tested Copy (note </I>3)<I>. </I>They attract attention as well as color ads and also earn high readership for the message.</div> <bR> <div> The findings -- black and white ads:</div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Work well</B> when picturing people in dramatic situations. <I>Example:</I> An ad by Gates selling belts and hoses for firefighters contained a stark black-and-white photo of a firefighter to set a somber mood.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Help to</B> get a cerebral or intellectual message across. <I>Example:</I> An ad by Dreyfus selling tax-free mutual funds pictured head shots of six former U.S. presidents with the headline, "We Created Tax-Free Funds. Then Again, We Had a Lot of Inspiration."</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Even work</B> well with consumer products. <I>Example:</I> An ad for Revlon showed celebrity Lauren Hutton's face. It pulled well, noted the Starch editors, because it had the appearance of being true or real. It suggests, "Look, nothing up our sleeve; here it is in black-and-white."</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Work because</B> they have the power to focus reader attention. They make things seem "realer then real."</div> <bR> <div> <I>Caution:</I> Avoid black-and-white ads when appealing to the appetite or when depicting physical demonstrations of a product. Color helps to make distinctions -- to make individual parts stand out. Black-and-white ads boil things down to their essence -- and avoid the distractions color creates.</div> <bR> <div> How to Produce Better Print Ads<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Here's a tip, based on research by <I>Starch Tested Copy (note </I>4)<I>, </I>that should help you get much better results from your print ads:</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>Avoid placing the headline and copy above your illustration.</B></I></div> <bR> <div> <I>Why:</I> The eye normally goes to the illustration first. Readers will be forced "to battle gravity" to climb to the top of the page to read the copy. However, when copy is placed under the illustration, the eye falls naturally into the copy. Readership tests prove this point. Headlines and copy placed above an illustration usually get lower readership.</div> <bR> <div> The Kinds of Type that Attract Readers<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> Concerned about what kinds of typography to use to attract readers? A recent study by Colin Wheildon (note 5) a journalist and typographer, has disclosed what readers prefer -- and what repels them.</div> <bR> <div> <I>The findings:</I></div> <bR> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">88 percent</B> found comprehension poor when reading reverse type (light type on a dark background).</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">87 percent</B> felt body copy was hard to read when it was set on a line narrower than 20 characters.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">38 percent</B> said body copy was hard to read when it was set on a line wider than 60 characters.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Most readers</B> -- from 64 percent to 92 percent -- preferred upper-and-lower case headlines to all-caps headlines. The percentages varied depending on the typeface used.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">70 percent</B> said black body type was good for comprehension. Deep purple came in second. Blues and reds scored low.</div> <div> <B><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="Symb075c00b700f000000000.png" HEIGHT="16" WIDTH="24" ALIGN="bottom" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0">Readers</B> found black type to be most attractive when set against a 10 percent cyan (greenish-blue) background. <I>Note:</I> When the cyan was increased to 20 percent, readers said legibility decreased considerably.</div> <bR> <div> Is Your Slogan Good Enough?<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> According to Jerry Fisher (note 6), to find out if your slogan can stand alone as a way to promote your farm/ranch, ask this question: Does it offer an important reason for prospects to do business with you over that of your competitors? To help you decide, consider the following:</div> <bR> <div> <B>Weak:</B> "The word is getting around." Why would this influence anyone's decision to buy a car?</div> <bR> <div> <B>Strong:</B> "We love to fly and it shows." This exudes company pride and celebrates and reinforces the company's high customer-service ratings.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Weak:</B> "Something special in the air." Just compare it to the one above.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Strong: </B>"Worn by the world's most admired women." The company uses the slogan to leverage its claim that Elizabeth Taylor wears one of its products.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Weak:</B> "The art of entertainment." This one qualifies as a bit of instantly forgettable fluff.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Strong:</B> "The richest coffee in the world." The message fills the senses without using clever or tricky prose.</div> <bR> <div> <I><B>In Summary</B></I></div> <bR> <div> Advertising is salesmanship. It creates a perception of value in the mind of the reader as you make a complete and compelling case for what you are selling and how it benefits the buyer. The professionals in the advertising business provide us with many ideas. They have found what works and what does not. We can benefit from their research by evaluating how to apply the knowledge they have gained to the marketing of a uniquely different product -- our llamas and alpacas. Most of us do not have millions to spend on an advertising campaign. We must be effective in how our marketing dollars are spent. The amount of effort we spend in composing and laying-out our ads will be in direct proportion to the response.</div> <div> ___________________________________________ </div> <div> 1) For a free booklet, <I>31 Ways to Make Your Ads Generate More Inquiries</I>, send a self-addressed, stamped #10 envelope to Bob Bly, Advertising Inquiries, 174 Holland Ave., New Milford, NJ 07646. </div> <div> 2) <I>Source: </I>David Ogilvy, writing in <I>Direct</I>, P.O. Box 4949, Stamford, CT 06907. </div> <div> 3) <I>Source: Starch Tested Copy</I>, Starch INRA Hooper Inc., 566 E. Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, NY 10543. </div> <div> 4) See 3. </div> <div> 5) <I>Source: Viewpoint</I>, Ogilvy & Mather, cited in <I>ADWEEK</I>, 42 E. 21st St., New York, NY 10010. </div> <div> 6) <I>Source: </I>Jerry Fisher, writing in <I>Entrepreneur</I>, P.O. Box 19787, Irvine, CA 92713.</div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>