When people see a print ad, they usually take two seconds to evaluate it before they decide whether they’re interested in learning more. This means you need to create a great hook to pull people in to your ad. The best way to hook people is with a great image.
High-impact images
A high-impact image makes people stop scanning and pay attention to your ad. It makes people curious to learn more. Images are better at hooking people than a well-written headline because images are easier to digest. People can read about 10 words in the same amount of time they can process an image. When people look at ads, 90% of them look at the image before they look at the words.
A common mistake is to use an eye-catching visual that has nothing to do with the product being sold. That just leads to confusion. People don’t like to feel confused because they feel like they are dumb if they don’t “get it” and can’t make the connection. Don’t make people think too hard to connect your image with your product and brand. Your image should reflect the main message as well as get people’s attention.
In an antismoking campaign aimed at pregnant women, a health center used a black-and-white photo of a baby with a smoking cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Not only was this an eye-catching visual, it also clearly contributed to the health center’s message: “Smoke when you’re pregnant and your baby smokes with you.”
Not only using interesting images, but interesting color schemes can gain people’s attention. Using different color printing techniques like a black-and-white image with only your product in color can create visual interest.
When you’re choosing an image, choose one that reinforces your message or adds a deeper level of understanding to the words of your message.
Beware of negative associations with your image
A spaghetti company once used an ad with a photo of a naked man lying in a bathtub of spaghetti that certainly caught people’s attention, but didn’t make anyone want to eat the spaghetti!
An ad for a computer company showed a computer next to a turtle to show that the computer would have a long life, just like turtles. Of course, most people took the ad to mean that computer would run as slow as a turtle – not good for business. How no one saw that connection, I don’t know.
These examples are perfect reasons why you should always test your ads with focus groups or at least ask colleagues for their opinions!
Don’t let your image take over your brand
It’s amazing how often a brand gets thrown to the wayside in favor of a creative image. Be sure that people know immediately after looking at the image that it’s for your company. An eye-catching ad won’t do you any good if no one knows it’s for your company! Put your logo in a prominent place on the ad or use your company’s name in the headline to ensure people know whose ad they’re looking at.
By: Kaye Marks
Archive for December, 2009
Create an Eye-Catching Hook For Your Print Ads
December 27th, 2009The Art of Muscle Building For Women – Not Just a Man’s Game Anymore!
December 26th, 2009
Just a decade or two ago it was not trendy for women to go into gyms and do weight lifting. Rather, women opted to exercise by walking, jazzercising, and doing a bit aerobics in order to loose weight. Nowadays, the art of muscle building for women has become a standard activity. A lot of women today want to become fit and strong. That’s why women are increasingly joining weight training centers and doing bodybuilding.
Why has muscle building/body building become more popular for women in the modern era? It has become important for women to build their body muscles just like men, and in the process gaining lots of health benefits. Nowadays, women have developed a vast knowledge of health and fitness issues. Many are passionate about the art of muscle building. Large numbers of woman are joining gyms and participate in muscle building exercises.
When it comes to muscle building for women, weightlifting is a great activity to get rid of fat. Women cannot only loose weight, but also get lean muscle mass by eating low calorie foods. The studies show that muscle building by women help them to have a balanced body and well-shaped muscles. They look fit and sexy and muscle building helps them to have a better quality of life.
Woman should have no hesitation about bodybuilding. Women only need to lift lightweights to get great results by developing strong and fibrous muscles. Women are genetically inclined toward having less muscle mass when compared to men. As a result, they will develop gorgeous and sexy feminine curves by light weightlifting. Some experts warn women not to do aerobics, jogging, jumping and running during their bodybuilding course. The reason for this is because muscles need to be fit and strong and these can be distracted by doing jumping or running.
In a nutshell, we can say that muscle building for women has become very popular in modern times. Today, lots of women are doing bodybuilding exercises in gyms across the land and are concentrating on squats, bench press, deadlifts, dips, and dumbbell flyes among others. However, woman must not forget to adopt proper diet plans when participating in weightlifting programs. Moreover, women should not hesitate to get involved in bodybuilding because they will realize many great healthful benefits!
By: Max Jungmier
Searching For Cheap Drug And Alcohol Rehab Centers?
December 26th, 2009
So, you have agreed to check into a drug and alcohol drug rehab center but want the cheapest one. You don’t have all the money in the world to enter into the expensive ones out there. Not to worry as you’ll get the centers right here.
The cost of undergoing treatment in a drug and alcohol rehab center is a subjective issue. What is affordable to one person may not be applicable to another. So, you’re right to look for cheap rehab centers. You don’t have to break into a bank or go broke in the name of getting off drug and alcohol addiction.
One of the best sources of cheap drug and alcohol rehab centers is the non-profit type. This type of centers’ fees is often low compared to their for-profit counterpart. Most of the not-for-profit centers are managed and funded by either the federal government of the country or religious organizations.
The following centers are some of the non-profit centers out there that you can attend and get good treatment at an affordable rate.
- Pemarro is a non profit drug and alcohol addiction recovery center located in Ramona, California.
- Ohlhoff Recovery Programs is a non-profit center which offers inpatient and outpatient alcohol and drug treatment center situated in San Francisco, California.
- The Gurley House, a non-profit center for women who have had a history of problems with alcohol or substance abuse. The period of stay at the center is six months.
- COPE Behavioral Services, Inc. is a non-profit behavioral healthcare organization providing treatment and rehabilitation for substance abuse and other mental health conditions in men and women.
You can begin your search with these and similar drug and alcohol rehab centers.
Apart from the not for profit centers, there are some centers whose fee is often low when compared to those of others. You can only get these centers after short listing reputable centers and contacting them. This is what is known as comparison shopping.
However, it needs to be stressed that you must never at any time sacrifice quality at the expense of cheapness. Your health matters a lot and therefore should not be joked with because of lack of enough money. In other words, never go out there looking for cheap rehab centers without looking at the quality of services that the center is offering.
Cheap drug and alcohol rehab centers abound all over the country. It only requires lots of patience on your part to get them. Remember these centers exist because of you. They can’t continue offering their services if there is no patronage. Therefore, they too are more concerned about offering their services at low rate than their competitors in order to stay in business and earn more profit.
When you make use of the tips given in this article, you will not find it hard to get a center that will not require you breaking into a bank before you can get treatment.
By: Ras Reed