Advertising > Magazine Ad Analysis: Buick

The ad I chose appeared in the New York Times, right on the second page. It is an ad for Buick, and at first it seems as just a reminder ad, that’s why I was wondering why it is in a daily paper. Then after closer reading, I realized that they are promoting a sale event, in which everybody who buys a new car gets the employee discount. The promotion will end on July 5th. So let’s look at now the reasons why this ad appeared in a daily paper instead of a monthly or weekly magazine.

First of all, as we mentioned magazines have a long editing period, meaning that by the time the raw material becomes a final product, the magazine, it often takes month. So for an ad that promotes a sale for a certain, but short period, it would be hard to make it timely in a magazine.

Secondly, the New York Times probably reaches the greatest audience as opposed to any specialized magazines. It can appear daily for a certain period of time, making the ad’s reach and frequency a lot better. Also the size of the ad is a lot bigger than it would be possible if appeared in a magazine. There are only a few magazines that are this big, but maybe their readership is not Buick’s target audience.

Why this ad would be more effective had it appeared in a magazine? Well, first of all since the life span of magazines is a lot longer, there is a bigger chance that a reader sees it more than just once. In the case of newspapers, we usually read it quickly and than throw it away. Magazines however are looked more than just once, but what more there are more than just one person that reads it. Also we are more receptive to an ad if it’s in magazine; readers tend to pay attention not only to the articles, but to the ads as well.

What changes would be necessary for it to appear in a magazine? Well, of course it would be in color, and would be nice and shiny. But also the copy would need to be changed from advertising a sale event into giving information about the car’s features or benefits.

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