The New Print Ad Strategy

I'm reading though ESPN the Magazine and I get to a spread that has an interview with Eagles quarterback Nick Foles on the left. On the right is a layout about Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. It features a large image of Fitzgerald at practice, a big headline with copy below, a pullout quote, and some snippets and smaller images on a side bar.

It wasn't until I finished reading the "column," when I got to the logo in the bottom left corner, that I realized I had just read an ad for the University of Phoenix. This is a marketing strategy I used to see all the time in Wired magazine but it wasn't until now that I realized how genius it was. Marketers have figured out a way to cut through all the noise–don't design an ad that looks like an ad. Design it to look like what the readers actually want to read.

I'm an ESPN Magazine subscriber. I like sports. I'm not a Cardinals fan but I like Larry Fitzgerald; he seems to have a true passion for the game. After reading this ad, I know that he has an interest in journalism/broadcasting, he sees football as merely one stage in his life, and when his mom was battling cancer he made her a promise that he would keep education as a priority in his life.

I don't feel like I was sold anything. All I did was learn something new about an athlete I admire. More importantly, I actually read the ad. I can't remember the last time I could say that about a magazine ad.

It's becoming more and more difficult to cut through the noise of advertisement and communicate your message. This is a good example of the necessity to tailor your message to sound like what your audience already wants to read.

No one wants to read ads. Ever. Give them something they care about.