Annals of "flapvertising": Sharp magazine sells ad window in its logo

According to a story in Masthead, Sharp magazine has made a deal with the ad agency of automaker BMW to die-cut two separate flaps in its front cover, including one that alters the name of the magazine to become part of an inside front cover ad. Noah Vardon, strategy manager at Media Experts who worked with Contempo Media [publishers of Sharp] on the execution, explained BMW, the creative agency

Transcontinental Media signs up to rep About.com and other sites

Transcontinental Media is to be the exclusive Canadian sales arm for About.com and various sister sites including CalorieCount.com and Netplaces.com, all owned by The New York Times Company. The sites will be added to the digital ad inventory that Transcon is able to offer, adding about 5.8 million unique Canadian visitors monthly (based on May 2011 Comscore data). "We are proud to have become

The importance of editorial "earned media"

A weird term that has cropped up recently is "earned media", by which advertisers mean editorial content and public relations. A joint research study from Synaptic Digital and Kantar Video, reported by MediaPost, seems to say that brand messages from advertisers resonate best with consumers when packaged in newsworthy, informative formats rather than a straight-ahead paid ads (note that the

Best on Page showcases best magazine ad creative in the world, March 31

In less than two weeks there'll be unveiled over 150 award-winning examples of magazine ad creative from around the world at Best on Page. It's Thursday, March 31 from 5 - 8 p.m. at the Allstream Centre, Exhibition Place, 105 Princes' Blvd. 
At the same time, the winners of the Best on Page Awards for the best magazine ad creative in Canada will be announced.  
It's a free event, but you have to

Rogers b2b publishing boss John Milne chuffed about new revenue stream

John Milne, the senior vice-president of business and professional publishing At Rogers Publishing, says his division has had great success with a new "fourth" revenue stream. He writes in a column in min, the media industry newsletterAt Rogers Publishing Limited in Toronto, the Business & Professional Publishing Group has been nurturing a fourth revenue stream over the past six years: research.

Magazines Canada seminar for planners still naked after all these years

Magazine sales teams quite often mutter about the ignorance of young media planners about the virtues of magazines. Magazines Canada has been addressing this for 14 years now; its 15th annual half-day educational/promotion workshop The Naked Truth About Magazines takes place on Thursday, February 17 at the InterContinental Toronto, 220 Bloor Street West starting at 8:30 a.m. The free event (

Advertising Standards Council advertises that truth in advertising matters

The Advertising Standards Council is launching a new advertising campaign of its own to drive home the message that truth in advertising matters. The multi-media, national public service campaign is called "Truth in Advertising Matters".According to an ASC releaseDeveloped by Cossette in Toronto, the multi‐media attention grabbing advertising campaign takes a tongue‐in‐cheek approach, presenting

Magazines "must buy" campaign launched by Magazines Canada

Magazines Canada is launching a three-pronged print advertising campaign aimed at advertisers, agencies and consumers, highlighting the engagement and effectiveness of magazines. Member magazines are being asked to carry the full-page ads. “As today’s consumers and business leaders become harder to reach in meaningful ways, magazines more than ever have powerful stories to tell,” said Gary

Ads work better next to edit or, even better, next to the table of contents Starch finds

Starch Advertising Research knows a thing or three about ad positions in magazines, gathered from looking at their own research conducted for publisher clients. They have recently done a study of adjacency, looking at nearly 68,000 ads  in 1,884 magazine issues Starch has measured from January 2009 through June 2010. (Its part of upgrading Starch's database so that clients can look back over time

Aspirants aren't getting the education they need for entry level ad agency jobs

Karen Howe, senior vice president, creative director of Due North Communications in Toronto has written an interesting, tub-thumping rant in Applied Arts about the state of education for people who want to work in advertising,and specifically agencies.I’ve attended portfolio nights for many years. I also review student books constantly. I’m seeing epic erosion in the quality of education that

Recovery and rebound expected in Canadian advertising, says PwC

The entire Canadian entertainment and media market declined by 2.7% in 2009, in the teeth of a recession, but is expected to rebound this year and grow at an annual average compounded rate of 5% through 2014, according to the consulting firm Pricewaterhousecoopers (PwC). Its Global Entertainment and Media Outlook has just been published and contains data which indicates that the E & M market will

Advertisers, for now, willing to pay up to 5x more for spots on publishers' iPad apps

Advertisers are apparently willing to pay up to five times as much to buy ad slots on publishers' iPad applications as they are for regular website advertising, according to an AP story. This doesn't mean Apple's tablet computer will live up to its hype as a potential lifeline for the media industry. Online ads still generate a small fraction of news companies' advertising revenue, and it's an

Page number "takeovers" latest trend in encroachment into edit space

 The creep of ads into previously well-defined editorial spaces of magazines continues; this time in the June issue of Condé Nast’s Bon Appétit, Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese is running a series of page number “takeovers.” According to a story in Mediaweek, the fractional ads, which are labeled as such, appear in the corners of 10 pages.“The goal was to communicate the message of alternative

Atlantic Business builds awareness of print creative and fine looking magazine ads, too

Atlantic Business magazine has come up with a nifty way to build awareness and commitment with its advertisers and demonstrate the power and value of magazine creative work, according to a story in Marketing magazine. Regular advertisers (those having booked 3 ads between 2009 and 2010) have until the end of February to respond to the statement "Why I believe in magazine advertising". The staff

Fast track production system will shorten deadlines for ads in Rogers consumer magazines

Rogers Publishing says it is launching its promised Pressxpress production schedule with the January 2010 issues of Chatelaine and its French counterpart Châtelaine. This will be followed by the March 2010 issues of Flare, Today's Parent, Loulou and Glow.  Under the new sped- up manufacturing and production system, advertisers can submit material for publication within two weeks of the final

Needs no comment...

The things magazines do to themselves...It gives a whole new meaning to "belly band". This ugly banner wrap is what subscribers to Elle Canada see when they receive the current issue. It leads to a spread ad inside and $2 off coupon.

Mag shorts: Saving on ad handling; Global Brief resurgent; Segal leads leadership centre

The advent of ad portals, such as the SendMyAd digital portal offered by Magazines Canada, means shorter production cycles and a better relationship with clients, according to a Q & A from Publishing Executive with Kim Latreille, the production director of St. Joseph Media and Gary Garland, Magazines' Canada's executive director of advertising services. Garland says the new service save time and

Magazine ads outpace TV and online in driving consumer behaviour and attitudes

Magazine advertising is more effective at driving consumer behaviour and changing attitudes than TV or online, according to a study by the Dynamic Logic. As reported by Folio:, the new white paper says that magazines are the most cost-effective medium throughout the "purchase funnel" (def. the purchase process) when considering cost per person and the people influenced per dollar spent. Brand

Some surprised ad buyers demand more transparency in wake of Gourmet shutdown

It seems that some media buyers were surprised, and dismayed, at the recent closing of Gourmet magazine. Setting aside the fact that buyers and analysts should probably see their jobs as being aware of the financial health and trends in magazines companies, according to a story in MediaWeek, the decision on October 5 by Conde Nast is making some of them demand that the magazines signal their

U.S. magazine publishers discussing network to sell their online ad inventory

U.S. magazine publishers are finding common ground in preliminary discussions about creating an ad network that would sell their online ad space for themselves, rather than letting third-party ad networks do it for them. According to a story by Nat Ives in Ad Age, the discussions are "very preliminary", but the publishers are serious."The ad network is front and center," one magazine executive