Advertising and Magazines Essay examples

Submitted By armston89
Words: 1072
Pages: 5

Identification of the Problem
Marketers are turning to alternative ways to promote their products and services because it is becoming difficult to reach consumers with traditional advertising. They are accustomed to branded entertainment deals with media such as television and the internet and want to have similar options with magazines. However, they must be able to prove that magazine advertising can increase brand recognition or help increase sales. (Belch & Belch, 2009) According to Marketing Evolution 2006 and Dynamic Logic/Millward Brown 2004-2007 surveys, television produced the largest increase in brand awareness with magazines also providing a significant increase. They also found out that television and magazines produced the greatest increase in ad awareness, with each medium contributing significantly more impact than online. (Appendix A) (Accountability II How Media Drive Results and Impact Online Success, 2008) A branded entertainment deal with a magazine could involve blending magazine content with advertisements. Advertising marketers are attracted to magazines because of their selectivity, production quality, creative flexibility, permanence, prestige and the reader’s high receptivity and involvement. Therefore, the marketers believe that blending content with advertisements would only increase the visibility of their brands and potentially increase profits. (Belch & Belch, 2009) The goal of the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) is to try to ensure the editorial integrity of magazines so that consumers can trust the magazine’s content. The ASME does not support blending content with advertisement and has maintained guidelines to make sure that the difference between advertising and editorial content is transparent to readers. ASME guidelines state that ad pages should not be placed adjacent to related editorial material in a manner that implies editorial endorsement . (Appendix B) (Blurring the Line?; Magazines Face New Pressure as Marketers Seek to Blend, 2004) The guidelines also seek to ensure that there is no advertiser influence or pressure on editorial independence. (ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers, 2008) Although the ASME has no formal means to enforce its guidelines, it does preside over the annual National Magazine awards, which are highly valued in the magazine industry. A magazine that violates the guidelines risks being declared ineligible for the awards or expelled from the Society. (Belch & Belch, 2009) The pressure on magazines to respond to the demands of marketers is becoming greater, particularly since some publications are facing decline in circulation and advertising pages. Magazines must decide whether to allow marketers to blend content with ads in hopes to increase circulation and profit. (Belch & Belch, 2009)
Alternative #1
The first alternative is for the magazines to give in to the pressure and let marketing advertisers blend ads with their content. Magazine producers know that if they do not allow marketers to place their ads in the magazines where they desire, the marketers may look to alternative media such as the Internet or video games where they have more opportunities to integrate their brands and messages into content. In their decision to ignore the ASME guidelines, magazines must remember the importance of maintaining the integrity of their publications. (ASME Guidelines for Editors and Publishers, 2008) There are several ways to blend advertising with content. Advertisers have requested magazines to run ads next to their stories about the same type of product or service. (Belch & Belch, 2009) For example, in looking at an article in AARP Magazine, titled Flu Facts, it talks about learning about the flu. An example of how to blend content with advertising would be to add the following to the fact about hand washing: “Wash hands frequently to prevent the spread of germs. Use Doctor Recommended Ultracept, Antiseptic