Newspaper and advertising nuggets

For the sleepy and drowsy eyed citizens there is nothing like an early morning cup of tea accompanied by a crispy newspaper that makes ones day more refreshing and worth its while. Given below are terms that are commonly used in advertising and in the media. Awareness and knowledge of these terms would make us more humble and give the media the respect and admiration that it richly deserves.

NEWS

When asked how the word news originated most people are stumped in search of an answer. The answer is very simple. News comes from North, East, West and South. The idea is to give us information about what is happening from all parts of the country and the world that is why it is called NEWS.

ABC (Audit Bureau of Circulation)

It is a non-profit circulation auditing organisation. It audits circulation, readership and audience information for the magazines, newspapers and other publications produced. ABC certified circulation figures are the most commonly used yardstick in deciding which publication gets the advertising from the client. ABC certified figures are flaunted by media houses as a proof of their popularity and circulation.

Rate cards

Rate cards are information cards provided by both print and broadcast media, which contain information concerning advertising rates, mechanical requirements, issue dates, closing dates, cancellation dates and circulation data. Rate cards are attractively made to catch the eye of the creative heads of the advertising agencies.

The media planners at the advertising agency compare the rate cards of different publishers and broadcasters and prepare a competitive media plan which can maximise the amount spent on advertising for its client. As a rule, the publishers are not supposed to furnish the rate cards directly to the final customer but this rule is only being observed.

Agency commission

It is the money paid to the advertising agencies by the media (broadcast or print) for purchase of time or space made on behalf of their clients. Since the advertising agency saves the media the expense of direct sales and billing, the media allows the agency a 15 per cent discount (16.67 per cent for outdoor advertising), based on the gross advertising the client is billed.

(The discount also serves as an incentive to the agency). For example, If a company spends a lakh on an advertisement placed through a recognised advertising agency, the agency commission is Rs 15,000 and the balance is paid to the media. The agency commission system represents the financial incentive of the advertising agency business. The company has nothing to lose as it would have paid a lakh whether it approaches the media directly or through the advertising agency.

INS (Indian Newspaper Society)

It acts as the central organisation of the Indian Press, an independent body of newspapers and periodicals in India. It is an organisation which plays a major role in protecting and promoting the freedom of press. The society was founded in 1939 and is located in New Delhi.

INS members are the owners, proprietors and publishers of print media who discuss and suggest various measures to the government, regarding the problems and issues faced by the newspaper industry. It is a kind of pressure group which works to protect the interest of newspaper industry in particular and print media in general.

Accredited advertising agency

All the advertising agencies have to be accredited with the Indian Newspaper Society. Accreditation is very important as it confers some special status and benefits to the concerned advertising agency. All accredited agencies get the full 15 per cent commission that is paid by the publisher.

They also get sixty days of credit. Accreditation is very important as blue chip corporates, government managed organisations like Indian railways and public sector companies get their advertising work done only by accredited agencies. Accreditation is the route that a small agency takes to announce that it has arrived at the national stage.

In-house advertising agency

An in-house advertising agency is owned and operated by its one and only client: the advertiser. Instead of a company outsourcing its advertising section to an agency, its advertising campaigns are handled by its own in-house agency or by itself. The best example is Mudra which started off as an in-house agency for Reliance Industries and later went on to become one of India’s best known advertising agencies.

The big issue that a company has to address is: should it save the 15 per cent commission by having its own in-house agency or should it try to maximise 85 per cent of the income it earns using external advertising agencies. Once outside agencies are given a chance the survival of the fittest principle would kick in and the company will get a great advertising campaign. Companies that have in house advertising agencies may still use external advertising agencies, on a per project basis.

Bleed advertisement

It covers the entire page (or poster), leaving no margin. An advertisement that runs to the edge of a page is called a bleed advertisement. It may bleed on all four sides, three sides, two sides, or one side. Whether the advertisement bleeds on one, two, three, or four sides, most magazines charge 15 per cent premium for its use, since the size of the plate needed to print a bleed advertisement is necessarily larger than that for typical advertisement. Designed to get attention, a bleed advertisement allows the artist a greater flexibility in expressing the advertising concept, because of the larger printing space.

Teaser campaign

Brief advertisement designed to tease a particular campaign to the public by offering only bits of information without revealing either the sponsor of the advertisements or the product being advertised. Teaser advertisements are the frontrunners of an advertising campaign, and their purpose is to bring in curiosity among the readers and get attention for the campaign that follows.

For a teaser campaign to be effective, the advertisements must have great visibility in print, broadcast and in OOH (out of home) media so as to reach a wider range of viewers. Teaser advertisements are often used in the introduction of a major motion picture or a new product.

ASCI

The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has adopted a code for self-regulation in the field of advertising. It is a commitment to honest advertising and set up a fair competition in the market place. It stands for the protection of the legitimate interests of consumers and all concerned with advertising - advertisers, media, advertising agencies and others who help in the creation or placement of advertisements.

Deceptive advertising

It is defined as ‘a representation, omission or practice that is likely to mislead the consumer’ and ‘practices that have been found misleading or deceptive in specific cases, include false oral or written representations, misleading price claims, sales of hazardous or defective products or services without adequate disclosures, failure to disclose information regarding pyramid sales, use of bait and switch techniques, failure to perform promised services, and failure to meet warranty obligations’.

Masthead

It is the logo or the name of a newspaper that is published in a specific style and in specific font, which appears in a certain pattern on every page. For example, the name ‘THE HANS INDIA’ is referred to as masthead. As the name of the newspaper is the one that is first noticed it is called the masthead.

Ear panels

Usually there are only two small advertisements that are published next to the masthead. These are usually of the same size of the masthead and are of one column centimeter in width. As a unique style in which the name of the newspaper is presented is referred to as the masthead the advertisements are perceived as ears of the masthead and they are called ear panels.

Solus

The first page is the costliest real estate in the newspaper. It is the first advertisement that the reader reads or gets a glimpse of. Generally newspapers allow only one advertisement on the first page. As only one advertisement is allowed it is called solus (single). As there is no other advertisement allowed on that page, the newspaper charges a 100 per cent premium for placing a solus. The solus is generally placed at the bottom right side of the first page.

Advertorial

Most readers are very skeptical about advertisements. The newspaper revenue comes from the advertisements. So the newspapers have devised a new concept - advertorial. They allow the advertisements in the form and style of news items. The entire advertisement reads liked a news item as if a news reporter is reporting regular/business news.

But there are watch dogs like the ASCI and the INS watching with a hawk eye. The newspaper has to put a statutory warning at the end of the article and call it the advertorial that is an advertisement that reads like an editorial.

By:Dr M Anil Ramesh