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Replacement for the 1995 You Magazine

by martinmail1
11 replies
Way Back in 1995 - the golden era of easy lead generation - all I needed to do was to place a half page advertisement in the "You Magazine" (free inside the Sunday Mail) and although doing so cost a small fortune...even back then...it would generate enough leads to keep a reasonable sized national sales force happy for the whole week and beyond.

In fact back then I don't know why we even bothered to place additional ads, but we did.

Fast forward to 2015.

There is no "You Magazine" any more. Ads in the Mail on Sunday are very expensive and just do not produce more than a handful of leads, and although to some extent online marketing is easier and cheaper, for some products it is not totally effective.

I do a lot of online promotion but we estimate that as much as 45% of our target audience will never be reached online.

My target audience are conservatory owners aged 55 years and above. And although I completely agree that many of the 55+ are internet savvy, they do not always reach for their tablet when they want something. Particularly if that something is previously unheard of by them.

So after this rather lengthy preamble, here is the question.

What completely off line medium is working well in the UK for anyone with a similar client profile?

Your responses would be gratefully received.
#1995 #magazine #replacement
  • Profile picture of the author The Pines
    Originally Posted by martinmail1 View Post

    Way Back in 1995 - the golden era of easy lead generation - all I needed to do was to place a half page advertisement in the "You Magazine" (free inside the Sunday Mail) and although doing so cost a small fortune...even back then...it would generate enough leads to keep a reasonable sized national sales force happy for the whole week and beyond.

    In fact back then I don't know why we even bothered to place additional ads, but we did.

    Fast forward to 2015.

    There is no "You Magazine" any more. Ads in the Mail on Sunday are very expensive and just do not produce more than a handful of leads, and although to some extent online marketing is easier and cheaper, for some products it is not totally effective.

    I do a lot of online promotion but we estimate that as much as 45% of our target audience will never be reached online.

    My target audience are conservatory owners aged 55 years and above. And although I completely agree that many of the 55+ are internet savvy, they do not always reach for their tablet when they want something. Particularly if that something is previously unheard of by them.

    So after this rather lengthy preamble, here is the question.

    What completely off line medium is working well in the UK for anyone with a similar client profile?

    Your responses would be gratefully received.



    The only similar type of campaigns that consistently work seem to be 60 second TV adverts. I don't see anything more high profile than Everest (Craig Doyle) and Safestyle (The deliberately annoying bloke with the 80's mullet hairstyle) on a national level.


    On a local/regional level the newspapers are full of home-improvement - soffits and fascias, double glazing, conservatories, etc. If they're buying these products from local media then your product would seem to be a good fit?


    You also have the advantage of highly negotiable rates from local media - radio, newspapers and TV.


    What's the price-point of your product?
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    • Profile picture of the author martinmail1
      Originally Posted by The Pines View Post

      The only similar type of campaigns that consistently work seem to be 60 second TV adverts. I don't see anything more high profile than Everest (Craig Doyle) and Safestyle (The deliberately annoying bloke with the 80's mullet hairstyle) on a national level.


      On a local/regional level the newspapers are full of home-improvement - soffits and fascias, double glazing, conservatories, etc. If they're buying these products from local media then your product would seem to be a good fit?


      You also have the advantage of highly negotiable rates from local media - radio, newspapers and TV.


      What's the price-point of your product?
      Thank you for the reply. Our AOV is 2.2k but our net is relatively small.

      The problem we found with TV advertising is a high production cost and then the bidding system which makes the prime spots very expensive. We did try a regional campaign a while back with really poor results. It may well have been just a bad ad production on our part but with costs the way they are you need to avoid a learning curve

      The trouble with our product is that it is a once only one item sale. We can't annoyingly scream BOGOF.

      We do of course have some success with the locals and freebies but I was hoping that there was something new that was yealding hitherto unheard of successes that I had not yet heard of.

      A bit like a beefed up version of the late lamented Information Service.
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      • Profile picture of the author savidge4
        I personally target the same audience demographic as you. I do NOT run in the Sunday papers... I actually am finding I prefer the Saturday paper. I know for me in the states I find larger ads are less expensive. the idea that guys and gals that work all week sit down and read the Saturday paper.

        I also run in the weekly food section in many markets. In the states these come out on Wednesday or Thursday, and tend to target the female slice of the demographic a bit more. I sell Satellite Internet so that is fine with me. LOL
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      • Profile picture of the author The Pines
        Originally Posted by martinmail1 View Post

        Thank you for the reply. Our AOV is 2.2k but our net is relatively small.

        The problem we found with TV advertising is a high production cost and then the bidding system which makes the prime spots very expensive. We did try a regional campaign a while back with really poor results. It may well have been just a bad ad production on our part but with costs the way they are you need to avoid a learning curve

        The trouble with our product is that it is a once only one item sale. We can't annoyingly scream BOGOF.

        We do of course have some success with the locals and freebies but I was hoping that there was something new that was yealding hitherto unheard of successes that I had not yet heard of.

        A bit like a beefed up version of the late lamented Information Service.



        Couple of things to consider...


        National TV/radio/newspapers looks like it's not cost-effective, so the best way to go with these media is regional/local, and ideally on a standby rate. Have you also looked at demographic targeting for leaflet drops?


        Also, if your product is complementary to a conservatory installation, have you thought about a Joint Venture with any of the national conservatory companies? Maybe a reduced price for the customer plus a large commission for the conservatory company? Get that system right and you'd never have to advertise at all, you'd just pay out on confirmed business.
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        • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
          Originally Posted by The Pines View Post

          Couple of things to consider...


          National TV/radio/newspapers looks like it's not cost-effective, so the best way to go with these media is regional/local, and ideally on a standby rate. Have you also looked at demographic targeting for leaflet drops?


          Also, if your product is complementary to a conservatory installation, have you thought about a Joint Venture with any of the national conservatory companies? Maybe a reduced price for the customer plus a large commission for the conservatory company? Get that system right and you'd never have to advertise at all, you'd just pay out on confirmed business.


          Perhaps a licensing deal and training/certifying the installation done by the licensed companies.

          >>>

          Featured advertiser on the online equivalents of You magazine and home improvement sites/blogs.

          Publicity and advertising on the local cable, radio, print, and television.
          With respect to publicity, in the US we have local, local relevant shows
          on radio and TV where the company rep or owner gets interviewed.

          Some of those you do have to pay for the spot though. They look like morning TV
          talk shows, but they are really kind of infomercials. In my area, there is one that has
          been on air on a major local TV station for years.

          Locally, there is a guy who has a weekly home improvement/handyman radio
          show. He broadcasts in the two largest cities in my State (Colorado - Denver and Colorado
          Springs). He has sponsors and companies he just refers people to.

          (kind of funny - when I first read the post, I was thinking of music conservatory,
          or a vacation place to rent. The US equivalent is called a Sun Room.)
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          "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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  • Profile picture of the author savidge4
    Originally Posted by martinmail1 View Post

    I do a lot of online promotion but we estimate that as much as 45% of our target audience will never be reached online.

    My target audience are conservatory owners aged 55 years and above. And although I completely agree that many of the 55+ are internet savvy, they do not always reach for their tablet when they want something. Particularly if that something is previously unheard of by them.
    I have read this thread a number of times... and I keep slinking away and keeping my mouth kind of shut.

    I don't know what you are selling. I don't know where you have gotten your market numbers from. the question is, with the numbers you have, what have you done differently?

    Lets say the service you are selling is a "retirement home" who do you target? the people that will be moving in, or the kids that will "put" them there?

    If you are selling final expenses insurance... do you target those that are thinking about that stuff, or do you target the children of those that are in that position?

    I recently ran a campaign for a moving company and didn't target the people that were actually moving. I targeted "friends that knew someone that might be moving" A well placed "referral" is worth more than direct advertising any day of the week. The campaign was a experiment, that went rather well.

    Just throwing it out there...
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    • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
      Social proof. Kinda sorta.



      Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

      I have read this thread a number of times... and I keep slinking away and keeping my mouth kind of shut.

      I don't know what you are selling. I don't know where you have gotten your market numbers from. the question is, with the numbers you have, what have you done differently?

      Lets say the service you are selling is a "retirement home" who do you target? the people that will be moving in, or the kids that will "put" them there?

      If you are selling final expenses insurance... do you target those that are thinking about that stuff, or do you target the children of those that are in that position?

      I recently ran a campaign for a moving company and didn't target the people that were actually moving. I targeted "friends that knew someone that might be moving" A well placed "referral" is worth more than direct advertising any day of the week. The campaign was a experiment, that went rather well.

      Just throwing it out there...
      Signature

      "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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      • Profile picture of the author savidge4
        Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

        Social proof. Kinda sorta.
        In a twisted f'd up manipulative kind of way sure! LOL

        The ad was redneck as all get out too.. makes it that much funnier. Own a truck and tired of loosing your weekend hauling your friends stuff from house to house? Tell them about "insert name here"
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        • Profile picture of the author bizgrower
          Originally Posted by savidge4 View Post

          In a twisted f'd up manipulative kind of way sure! LOL

          The ad was redneck as all get out too.. makes it that much funnier. Own a truck and tired of loosing your weekend hauling your friends stuff from house to house? Tell them about "insert name here"
          MIT redneck that is.
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          "If you think you're the smartest person in the room, then you're probably in the wrong room."

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          • Profile picture of the author savidge4
            Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

            MIT redneck that is.
            yezzir! Sometimes getting from A to B requires the variable X LOL
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      • Profile picture of the author martinmail1
        Originally Posted by bizgrower View Post

        Social proof. Kinda sorta.
        Thanks to all of you for your input so far.

        We sell a conservatory roof (ceiling) insulation system.

        Modern conservatories lose heat very quickly during cold periods and gain heat at a tremendous rate during sunny conditions. The more they are orientated south, the greater the overheating problem. The more that they are orientated North the greater the cooling problem.

        We know the amount of conservatories sold each year (approx but quite accurate)

        We know the percentage who have purchased blinds (again approx but quite accurate)

        We know how many searches there are on google for conservatory insulation and all allied keywords and keyphrases

        We know how many searches there are on google for conservatory blinds and all allied keywords and keyphrases.

        We can tell a couple of things from this.

        1). The percentage of conservatory owners who search for a known and long established product online versus the amount of conservatory owners.

        2). The percentage of conservatory owners who are searching for our product online versus the amount of conservatory owners.

        3). Since we sold conservatory blinds for many years (but no longer do so), we already know the average age of our target audience as they are exactly the same for blinds as they are for insulation.

        We have of course trolled our old lists but they are becoming exhausted.

        We are constantly trying to forge JVs but the old problem arises with conservatory supply companies. They often do not want to pass their list to us because they intend to move into offering a similar service themselves.

        In regard to leaflet distribution, we have so far stayed away due to the ratio of homes with a conservatory to homes without - and the additional problem that in out lying areas where detached homes are well spaced, the ratio of conservatory ownership is very high but no one wants to drop leaflets in those areas because of the spacing.

        We are looking at direct mail via Royal Mail who claim that they can refine their lists to include only homes with conservatories, but so far my request to them for some satisfied customers in a similar field has not been forthcoming.

        Anyone here tried royal mail direct post?
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