Alex - This thread immediately caught my attention when you started it. I'm eager to learn whatever I can as the discussion progresses and will share my observations and prejudices while at the same time remaining open to being educated based on facts.
Like Coop, as a knife photographer I think about ads, marketing and images all the time. However, for several reasons I will share as this discussion develops I have to date declined to purchase print advertising for my knife photography business.
Based on maker feedback, the popularity of KNIVES Annual and forum buzz I know that great knife images sell knives. Every knife image we make constitutes an advertisement whether it's published in print or on the web. It is my unproven theory that makers are far better off purchasing professional quality images of their knives than purchasing basic print advertising - especially at current market pricing.
We photographers are, IMHO, virtually
giving it away. Makers bear the actual costs and we give the images to the print publications for use at their pleasure. Publications pay nothing for the images we send them and have no interest in cost-sharing. Why should they, since they're getting all the quality images they need for free. Great images sell magazines just as well as knives!
A new paradigm is needed that reflects what professional knife images are really worth to all parties who benefit from them - magazines included - a paradigm that is win-win for all and economically sustainable for all. I hope this discussion will help shed some light.
I'll continue my comments within the structure you provided. Should my responses sound like I'm stating facts, please be aware that they are just my opinions and may therefore be incorrect or off base.
Quote:
Originally Posted by KNAdmin
The basic question is, "are knife magazine ads worth the investment these days?" I seriously doubt it.
1) How much does a print ad really cost? A properly designed print ad probably costs less than nothing because it works. A poor ad has potentially huge hidden costs if the potential customer is put off. A neutral or 'invisible' mediocre ad probably costs what one pays for it.
2) Is it okay for an ad to simply expose your brand, or should it break even financially (or even make money) to be a worthy business investment? It is my understanding that 'image spots' which simply tout a brand are worthless. It's the message conveyed by the ad that's more important.
3) Do you consider the inferred lifetime of a publication, or should the value be calculated on the cycle that you're paying for? The ad cycle matters since ads should evolve over time and not remain static. Periodicals have a 'shelf life' and are basically disposable so the ad cycle is an opportunity to keep an effective ad fresh.
4) How important is the content of an ad, relative to the ROI? See my response to #3 above.
5) If you request that the magazine draft your advertisement copy, should they share the responsibility for it's success/failure? (why or why not?) You began to address this in your post above and I agree. Looking at BLADE magazine layout and design over time reveals that only the cover gets true professional attention. The insides of the magazine, while functional, regularly feature elementary layout and design gaffs consistent with low budget - lack of good color management, incorrect image orientation and overall lack of 'flow' cover to cover.
6) Am I asking the right questions, or is there something else to consider? Something else to consider: What are the actual publication subscription and retail magazine outlet numbers? We can't get this information from the magazines! Thus all our speculations about the worth of an ad are undermined. With this in mind - what are the growth dynamics for the magazines as compared with the web as regards marketing and promotion of goods and services in the knife world, now and in the future?
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