Newspapers

Newspapers permit an advertiser to reach a large number of people within a specified geographic area. Newspaper advertising has several advantages for the small business. An advertiser has flexibility in terms of ad size and placement within the newspaper. Exposure to the ad is not limited, so readers can take their time with your message. Short deadlines permit quick response to changing market conditions. Disadvantages of newspaper advertising include: declining readership and market penetration, ad space can be expensive, clutter of competitive advertising and a relatively short life- span (newspapers are typically read once, then discarded), thus requiring multiple insertions.


Magazines

Magazines provide an advertiser with the means to reach highly targeted audiences. Specific groups can be reached by placing an ad in a magazine whose editorial content specializes in topics of interest to that target. This is true of both consumer and business publications. Audiences can be reached by placing ads in magazines which have well-defined geographic, demographic or lifestyle focus. Beyond the ability to reach specific audiences, the advantages of magazines include relatively long ad life and re-peated ad exposure (magazines are typically looked through several times before discard), excellent reproduction quality and pass-along value. The disadvantages of magazines include: long lead time, limited flexibility in terms of ad placement and format, and the potential for high costs in production and placement.


Outdoor (Billboards)

Outdoor advertising is typically used to reinforce or remind the consumer of the advertising messages communicated through other media. The advantages of outdoor advertising are: ability to completely cover a market and high levels of viewing frequency. The disadvantages of outdoor advertising are related to viewing time. Because target consumers are typically moving, an outdoor advertisement must communicate with a minimum of words. Messages must be simple, direct and easily understood.


Direct Mail

Direct mail advertisers use targeted mailing lists to reach highly specialized audiences. In addition to low waste in ad exposure, direct mail provides an advertiser with great flexibility in the message presentation. The disadvantages of direct mail include: relatively high cost per contact, obtaining updated, accurate mailing lists and difficulty in getting the audience's attention (direct mail is often considered "junk mail").