Question

1. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of magazine advertising. Make sure to include effect on Target Market and cost in your response.

Answer 1

The advantages and disadvantages of magazine advertising are as below:-

Advantages:

• More targeted: specific magazine titles appeal to specific target groups more so than a newspaper advert.
• Long Life: magazines have a longer “life” than newspapers, they sit about in doctor’s waiting rooms, magazine racks and with collectors.
• Pass-on readership – people may pass magazines on to their friends and family which will increase exposure of your advert
• Status – some magazine titles are well respected in their field, so an advertisement in these will increase your product/service’s prestige by association.

Disadvantages:

• Deadlines months in advance – magazines often require the ads to be submitted weeks or months in advance. This means you have to ensure your marketing strategy is in place well in advance. It also means that testing adverts can be a lengthy process!
• Cost of testing – color artwork can be more expensive, so small tests are often uneconomical
• Regional testing – can’t often be done as magazines area often national
• Graveyard – your ad runs the risk of being shoveled into the graveyard of ads in the back of the magazine unless you pay for premium positioning.