When to place Sponsorship & Adverts in magazines?

[Gmorgan]

Hi all,

I have joined a company which advertises in a local business magazine. The aim is not direct-response but more brand building. At the moment we advertise 1 full page colour advert each month. I now have the option to sponsor a section relevant to our business.

As it's a branding exercise I think that the sponsorship will go further than plain old adverts so am keen to go down this route, even though the sponsorships cost more.

My problem (as always) is budget. I only have enough budget to get us in half the issues for sponsorship and a bit left over for some adverts also.

Would you advise alternating or doubling up? I.E. Advert one issue, sponsorship the next, advert the next issue, then sponsorship, etc. or advert & sponsorhip in one issue, nothing the next, advert & sponsorship the next issue, nothing the next?

Alternating means we are seen in each issue but doubling up means people who read the issue we are in are more likely to remember us.

 

[gayle tomlinson]

Hi there,
I'm no expert in advertising but have spent a lot of time working as a journalist in newspapers and the print media.
From my experience you are likely to do a better job of brand building through sponsorship than the advert. I would be tempted to go for just straight sponsorship and forget the ads, if your budget will stretch that far.
If your budget is still not enough, it is likely that you will be able to get the publication to give you a discount on the sponsorship if you agree to an annual contract. Often these guys find it difficult to get sponsors and they can usually knock up to 50% off their original quote. Also in terms of consistency they would probably prefer a sponsor to be in their publication for the full 52 weeks.

Hope this is helpful.

Gayle

Gayle Tomlinson Communications

 

[Free Line Rental]

Hi and Welcome,

The best thing to do is to use a competitor of the mag in question as a decoy.
Call up your account manager at the existing publication you use and inform them that x mag has approached you and offered sponsorship along the same lines as you want to do with them but at a cost that is within your budget.

Inform them that unless they can match the deal you will be withdrawing all ad revenue from there publication and putting it into the competitor.

You will find that you will get the best price.

 

[Gmorgan]

Hi both, thanks for the advice and funnily enough I've done both of those things. I have beaten and beaten them down on price and can afford to be sponsor in three quarters of the issues. They were originally asking almost £2K to sponsor each issue, now we are looking at £1300. I met with their main competitor and made it known to them but strangely it didn't make them budge by a penny.

Normally I can bring prices way down but these guys don't negotiate much. The magazine gets a lot of large £££££ advertisers in regularly so probably don't care too much about the SME's.

I'll keep pushing for a yearly contract at a further reduced rate and hope to be the sponsor for each issue, advertising in a couple only if they have some great 'going to press' discounts at the time.

 

[gayle tomlinson]

Good luck with it. Let us know what you agree in the end. It is always useful information to know how far they are willing to go down to when the pressure is on.
Also, if you need any help generating editorial publicity PM me and I can always take a look at any areas you may be missing in the public relations arena.

Gayle