Pros & Cons of Advertising Media

Newspapers as an Advertising Media


Pros

  1. Newspapers get 21.5% of all U.S. advertising expenditures
  2. Newspaper ads rank highest for believability for all media.
  3. High local coverage and immediate [daily] delivery of your message.
  4. Excellent mass media [almost everybody reads the newspaper].
  5. An interactive medium [people hold it, save it, write on it, cut coupons, etc.].
  6. Flexibility in production: low cost, fast turnaround, ad shapes, size, excellent quality for inserts.
  7. Special targeted sections and shopping guides.

Cons

  1. Very busy/cluttered competitive environment [must compete against other ads and the newspaper copy].
  2. Little control over ad placement
  3. Low production quality.
  4. Hard to target your specific audience.
  5. Short life span [24 hours].

Radio as an Advertising Media

Pros

  1. Radio gets 8% of all U.S. advertising expenditures.
  2. Immediate delivery of message and high frequency of message [you can repeat several times per day].
  3. Local audience. Selectivity by format. High availability.
  4. Low cost per thousand [CPM] exposures.
  5. Low cost production.
  6. Reach an exclusive and captive [mobile] audience.

Cons

  1. Limited to audio message.
  2. High channel switching.
  3. Your message expires immediately [no shelf life].
  4. High advertising clutter.

Television as an Advertising Media

Pros

  1. Broadcast and cable television combined get 23.4% of all U.S. advertising expenditures.
  2. Immediate delivery of message and high frequency of message [you can repeat several times per day].
  3. Very high impact - TV is the best for stimulating the senses.
  4. High mass audience coverage, high prestige.
  5. Low cost per thousand [CPM] exposures.
  6. Local regional emphasis, cable audience availability, some audience selectivity.

Cons

  1. Very high costs of production and airtime.
  2. Limited audience selectivity.
  3. Your message expires immediately [no shelf life].
  4. High advertising clutter.
  5. High channel switching.

Direct Mail as an Advertising Media

Pros

  1. Direct mail gets 19.2% of all U.S. advertising expenditures.
  2. Highest response rate of all media.
  3. Highest level of selectivity of all media.
  4. High quality control.
  5. A measurable media for cost and response. Easy to test.
  6. High personalization.
  7. Creative flexibility.
  8. Long life span.
  9. No advertising clutter [once they open your piece].

Cons

  1. Highest cost per exposure.
  2. Over-saturation of market - people get a lot of junk mail.
  3. Negative connotations about buying through mail.
  4. Negative connotations about “junk mail”.

Magazines as an Advertising Media

Pros

  1. Magazines get 5.3% of all U.S. advertising expenditures.
  2. Excellent photo reproduction in full color.
  3. Long shelf life with high pass-along readership.
  4. High readership rates and reader loyalty.
  5. High ability to select audience.
  6. Regional editions for a more local audience.
  7. Proven selling power. High prestige.

Cons

  1. Long lead times. Unable to deliver your message immediately.
  2. High CPM for mass audience advertising.
  3. Heavy advertising clutter - often half of a magazine is advertising.
  4. Poor local coverage.
  5. Can't deliver your message with high frequency.

Outdoor as an Advertising Media

Pros

  1. Outdoor get less than 1% of U.S. advertising expeditures.
  2. Highest reach of all media.
  3. Lowest CPM of all media.
  4. Neighborhood level selectivity.
  5. Very high frequency of reach.
  6. Potential high impact because of size.
  7. Some good location of message availability.

Cons

  1. Only very short, simple messages work.
  2. Some image problems with poor locations.
  3. Hard to measure results.
  4. High initial costs.
  5. Negative connotations about visual pollution.

Yellow Pages as an Advertising Media

Pros

  1. Yellow Pages get 5.9% of all U.S. advertising expenditures.
  2. Very high percentage of new buyers [over 50%].
  3. Very high percentage of active buyers [over 88%]
  4. Completes the marketing process by bringing customers in.
  5. Second highest media for believability.
  6. Reaches 76% of U.S. adults in the average month. [Available in almost every home and business.]
  7. Longest shelf life. Open 24 hours per day.
  8. A measurable media for cost and response. Easy to test.

Cons

  1. Highest advertising clutter [100%].
  2. High cost for competitive positioning.
  3. High CPM [but highest active buyers].
  4. More directories mean lower reach per directory.
  5. More headings mean lower reach per heading.
  6. You can only change your ad once per year.