To Merchants : eMagazines vs Print

PRINT ADs

1. Flat visuals and lengthy descriptions
2. HIGH Colour-proofing & Printing costs
3. Impossible to make changes after published
4. Only through surveys
5. Writes in to advertisers
6. Through speculation or auditing
7. Send in Survey form
8. Turns on Internet to type in URL
9. Encourage readers to go to retail
10. Needs to contact each country’s sales office

E-ZINES Ads / E-CATALOGUE

1. Better representation of product through multimedia and interactivity
2. LOW flash production costs
3. Changes are possible after published
4. Collects Reader’s Behavioral Data
5. Collects Reader’s comment & feedback through built in forums
6. Accurate number on eyeballs
7. Able to poll on the product
8. Hyperlinks to merchant’s website for more info
9. Instant Sales through payment gateway
10. Easier Coordinated International Campaign

1. Merchants can now have a more effective representation of their products, services and business through audios, videos, animations and interactivity! Using such multimedia, instructions can be clearer and with the right background music, it enhances the buying mood. TV commercials can be re-featured on this new media so as to fully maximize video production costs.

2. When merchants decide to print catalogues for their products, they spent a high cost in printing. Even if they place an ad in traditional magazine, they need to do colour proofing and meet the printing deadline.

3. If merchant realized that they made an error somewhere after the ad is sent for printing, there is no way of changing it anymore and someone has to bear that risk and cost! For e-publishing, the changes can always be made and re-uploaded again. The cost for change is definitely lower.

4. Ads in e-zines can be programmed to follow Reader’s interest. For example, if the reader is only interested in sports, only sports ads will appear. We can also collect information as in how long a period they spent reading the ad and what are the items clicked on that ad. Thus advertisers are able to evaluate their marketing approach.

5. Through the ad in e-zines, readers can also leave a comment through a built in forum for other readers and merchants to know.

6. For traditional magazine, it is difficult to know the exact number of issues printed, the exact number placed at the newsstand, the exact number bought off the shelves and the exact number of eyeballs that actually rested on the merchants ad. Even so, for how long did that eye stop on that ad page? They probably can only do this through costly auditing and surveys. Through an e-zine, we can track all of the above easily. How many issues were downloaded, opened and the time the reader spent on the ad. Above all, it is accurate.

7. A polling/voting script can be added on an ad page which readers can vote on their favourite product within the brand. This information is useful for the merchant to plan on their production.

8. Ads can be linked to corporate website so as to generate immediate results by a simple click. For instance, you win a game on the ad, click to claim your prize. After clicking, the reader reached the merchant’s homepage where he can print a voucher to claim the prize or key in his details and address for the merchant to mail it to him. Several mechanics can be built around the ad. This is far easier than snail mailing information or to copy down the website address.

9. E-shopping can now be merged together with an ad. A payment gateway can be built around the ad page for immediate sale. Readers see what they like, click on it to buy. This works on impulse buying. For traditional magazines, readers will still need to travel to the retail shop to purchase the product.

10. With the technology, ads can reach a wider regional audience at a shorter time span. This allows you to better coordinate a plan for a regional marketing campaign. This is also a one time cost compared to placing ads in each country through their individual sales office.