Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Is Coupon Magazine Advertising Work

Posted by Anonymous on 9/24/2007 at 4:12 PM ET 250 Points
I am considering opening a retail store. I am trying to determine my advertising budget. I have come across Val Pak , clipper magazine, other magazines and other coupon mailers. They all seem to guarantee 10000 per zone. My question is : do they work. I would want to sign up for 6 or 12 months. Some will let me change copy every month for the same price.
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  • Posted by ilan on 9/24/2007 at 4:17 PM Member
    You must also consider that advertising with those coupon books creates a certain image about you and what you are.
    Don't forget to consider that for the long run, don't just think short term.
  • Posted by CarolBlaha on 9/24/2007 at 4:19 PM Member
    Remember the demographics of your clients. I don't open Value Pak. To me, the thin coupony paper is a turn off and my perception is low end. To some, that feel is appealing.

    I get a few higher end magazines-- and that I read. I work with a client here (Local Value) that does 16K and will change copy every month no problem.

    I wouldn't sign up for one that wouldn't give you the flexibility to change copy. A key to creating urgency and a reason to respond is making offers timely. Remember everything is negotiable-- including that rate card.

    Sell Well and Prosper tm
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 9/24/2007 at 5:26 PM Member
    Whether they'll work for you, your business, in your community, and with your copy is something only you can judge. As others have mentioned, see what results similar companies have achieved. See if you can split test your copy, color of paper, etc. Track results and incrementally improve (whether you use one of these services or another).
  • Posted by mgoodman on 9/24/2007 at 9:03 PM Accepted
    It depends on your target audience, your market, any seasonality, and a lot of other factors. Most of all it depends on how compelling your copy and offer are.

    As Randall said, I had a client experience in which we tested very precisely what we got from each Valpak insertion, each newspaper ad, each Money Mailer, and 5 or 6 other media vehicles (including Advo/Shopwise, missing child cards, etc.).

    We had it to the point where we knew the average cost of a new customer from each source each week. We were also able to track the response by day, so we knew the average delay time between the mailing and the response, and we knew how long and how strong the tail was.

    In our case, ValPak was much more effective than Money Mailer, but that doesn't mean it will be that way for you. My suggestion would be to do what we did and set up an experimental schedule over, say, 3 months -- and measure everything. If you gang up the efforts at the beginning, you'll be able to apply what you learn over the next 9 months (or even longer). That will make up for any inefficiencies in those first 3 months and then some. It will also minimize any seasonal effects that might otherwise cloud your test.

    Let me know if you need more details/specifics.
  • Posted on 11/23/2010 at 8:55 PM Member
    debcos: Sounds like you are the owner of the business "suppliers and contacts"
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