Advertising 101

How to Use Materials in this Kit when Placing Advertising

How to Use Materials in this Kit

Placing Your Advertising

To help sort through the many local advertising options, we've put together some local placement recommendations. Consider the following and how they line up with what you are trying to achieve:

TELEVISION ADVERTISING

Television has great story-telling capabilities and can create an emotional connection to a brand. Traditionally, it is the best medium to emotionally engage an audience, demonstrate the use of a product or establish an image - all which make TV a great choice for promoting propane.

If you are placing your own advertising, you will need to either hire a local advertising agency or establish contacts at your local network or cable affiliates.

Here are some things to consider when thinking about starting a TV advertising program:

Daytime TV builds frequency and delivers a loyal female audience
Primetime (4p.m. - 11p.m.) provides reach plus a wide variety of programming
Cable TV provides a highly targeted environment and increased frequency
Direct Response TV offers very efficient costs with some targetability
Align your target audience with that of the national program - Adults 25-54, skewed towards women (they influence major home purchase decisions such as energy and appliances).
We suggest a minimum level of 100 gross rating points per week among Adults 25-54 for at least three weeks. (Rating points indicate the percentage of your target audience that would be seeing your message at any given time. 100 gross points per week is a good starting level for gaining awareness on local general audience programming.)

RADIO ADVERTISING

Radio is a very versatile medium - it reaches people on-the-go, at home, at work and in their cars. It is a strong frequency builder that provides high targetability opportunities. It reaches those who view TV less frequently and can provide many opportunities for added value and enhance promotional campaigns.

When placing a local radio program, please consider the following:

Purchase radio stations with highest ratings and composition of target audience.
Purchase multiple dayparts, including a significant presence in a.m. and p.m. drive times, to extend reach and for greater efficiency.
Negotiate for substantial added value packages to enhance impact of campaign.
On-air mentions at the beginning or end of sponsorships, called "billboards"
Station event tie-ins/distribute information
Station website advertising/links
The best formats for our target audience include easy listening, country, religious, and classic rock.

PRINT ADVERTISING

Local Newspaper Advertising

Local newspaper advertising is an option that should be considered, but consider the following pros and cons before making your decision. Newspapers can provide additional message reach and synergy to the national campaign, allow for geographic flexibility and shorter lead times, and provide a significant amount of space in which to place your local contact information. However, newspapers provide limited audience selectivity, are less efficient than most media, have a short message life and the reproduction quality can vary depending on the paper.

When placing newspaper ads, consider the following:

Buy enough frequency to develop awareness. One insertion per week for the length of your campaign is a good rule of thumb.
Buy sizes large enough to have impact on the page. In publications with many ads, go larger to stand out.
Remember that placing more than one ad within a five to six day window will often generate discounts on the media rate you pay.
Other Local Print Options

Consider other local print options on a case-by-case basis, using the following criteria. Then contact the publication's sales representative to arrange a buy.

Does the editorial content seem appropriate for my message?
Is the circulation large enough and does the publication have a long shelf life for pass-along value?
It's a great price. But is that the only reason I'm considering this publication?

BILLBOARDS

Billboards provide broad reach and are an excellent tool for building awareness in heavy-traffic metro areas. However, broad reach is more difficult to gain in rural areas and they have limited messaging capability, especially as a stand-alone medium. Also consider that billboards are most effective in high-traffic areas where the audience is captive for long enough to retain the message. If you are considering running a billboard campaign, we recommend running it in conjunction with other media.

Here are some tips for placing billboards in your area:

They are typically sold within each market in groups of 25, 50, 75, or 100 boards, based on market size and location of the boards.
Buy more boards for shorter campaigns (1-5 months). Longer campaigns (6-12 months) often require fewer boards.
Remember that pricing is negotiable. Specific board pricing will vary by market size and length of campaign. Before you buy, be sure to take a tour of specific boards being considered to look for potential viewing problems, such as growing trees, poor visibility, or short drive-by viewing times that could limit effectiveness.
Contact your local billboard company to arrange locations, timing and information on the size of billboard materials you will need.