1. Care will prevent 9 out of 10 forest fires [U.S. Forest Service, 1944]

In 1944, there were not enough able-bodied men available to eliminate forest fires. They were fighting in the war. The Ad council decided to launch a campaign to make people more aware of forest fire prevention. The bear is known by at least 70% of all American citizens. During the course of the ‘only you’ campaign, Smokey Bear has been seen with celebrities, organizations like the Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts, and has been featured in cartoons, live action shows, and print ads.

2. The Absolut Bottle [Absolut Vodka, 1981]

The first of the successful print ads, Absolut Perfection, came to Geoff Hayes in the bathtub. Over 1500 advertisements have been created for the company, using over 300 artists from all fields. The company’s popularity has soared since the first advertisement, it is now the third best-selling liquor in the world behind Bacardi and Smirnoff.

3. We Try Harder [Avis, 1963]

This idea was not a gimmick, it was the company’s business philosophy. In 1962, Hertz was undeniably at the top position in the car rental market. This print ad campaign was a simple response to the question on the minds of consumers everywhere: ‘Why should anybody ever rent a car from you?’

4. Think Small [Volkswagen, 1959]

This advertising campaign has been credited with changing the way that individuals thought about advertising. At the time, Volkswagen was not the prettiest or the largest car. The advertisement was minimalist and highly effective. In that campaign, the advantages of great gas mileage, low oil intake and the ability to park anywhere were mentioned. People became aware of the Volkswagen design, making sales skyrocket.

5. Just do it [Nike, 1980]

Like many advertising campaigns, the Just do it was based around a simple idea. The hip and trendy, no-holds barred approach worked very well to help Nike compete with Reebok. These advertisements used celebrities from all sports venues to advertise its sports apparel. Today, Nike sponsors many world football teams like Manchester United, FC Barcelona and Arsenal.

6. The Marlboro Man [Marlboro, 1955]

Marlboro transformed cigarette advertising forever by associating a tough, rugged cowboy with cigarettes. This series inspired Marlboro Country, encouraging people to consider the pleasures of life. Philip Morris experienced a sales growth from $5 billion to $20 billion in the course of a few years.

7. Calvin Klein Jeans [Calvin Klein, 1980]

The clothing designer is known for pushing the envelope with its controversial print and television ads. Brooke Shields, a teenage icon, used sex and sensuality to sell the jeans. Marky Mark came on board to be a print ad spokesman for the Calvin Klein underwear.

8. The Rolls Royce Silver Cloud [Rolls Royce, 1958]

The Rolls Royce ad is an example of classic and compelling copywriting. It boldly speaks to consumers who are searching for a better car. The ad creator went for a believable concept, one that instilled trust within the readers. This advertisement proved to advertising executives that trust and believability sell products.

9. Macintosh [Apple, 1983]

In December 1983, Apple launched its advertising campaign with a Macintosh Introduction. In November 1984, Apple bought all of the advertisement available in Newsweek for a post-election campaign. Apple has always been very focused on its advertising, purchasing space in major magazines for each of its products. It is difficult to focus on merely one advertising campaign that Apple has run, as most of them have become famous.

10. Got Milk? [California Milk Processor Board, 1993]

This ingenious advertising campaign inspired people the world over to drink milk. It was supported by fashion models, style icons, and celebrities, each sporting the iconic milk mustache.

Print advertisement has played a major part in the shaping of societies throughout the world. What are going to be the products of tomorrow?

3 Reasons Why Print Advertising is Still A Lethal Weapon for A Winning Marketing Campaign
Posted by Mariam Noronha on April 23, 2011

The power of print advertising: Advertise on special print issues to celebrate Diwali
In the era of the internet, most people tend to attach little or no importance to print advertising. A deluge of pop-ups on your computer screen and mobile message beeps herald the launch of many a new product or service and we tend to think… who reads the papers?

Regardless of the growth of the internet and burgeoning popularity of online advertising here are 3 reasons why print advertising is still a lethal weapon in any advertising campaign…
Segment Your Way to Success

Segmentation is a precondition for marketing success and print media targets a specific audience. There is virtually no wastage of resources as a fashion magazine highlights apparel, footwear, accessories and make up while a health magazine spreads the word about health foods, organic foods and vegan choices.

Segmentation cannot get more specific than it gets with print advertising. Reaching out to a specific audience who subscribe to a particular newspaper or magazine is the best way to cater to a niche market segment.
Positioning Strategies

The biggest plus with newspaper and magazine advertising is that an advertiser can request special ad positioning. This means that a paragliding service provider can ask that his ad is placed in a specific page or within a column article about adventure sports or adventure tourism.

A positioning strategy such as this will bring greater visibility to the brand simply because the ad is in line with the central theme of the publication. A highly effective commercial specific ad positioning ensures that potential buyers will notice it.

I have noticed this with newspaper advertisements as well where ads for olive oil as a cooking medium appear in the health food recipes column. A great way to sharpen the edge of your advertising campaign while ensuring it reaches who you want to.
High Score on the Credibility Scale

In time newspapers and magazines create a large pool of loyal readers who attach a lot of importance to the quality of content that appears in their favorite publications. I have known people who swear by the research base of articles printed by the Reader’s Digest and others who say the columnists in Cosmopolitan know what they are talking about.

One particular trend in print advertising that I’ve noticed in India, particularly in Maharashtra state where I’ve lived all my life is the impact of the Diwali Ank (a special issue that magazine publishers come up with for Diwali, the festival of lights). I know people who stock up on these issues and read them over a period of time and discuss the contents with others. Such is the impact and credibility of print media.

So if you had just about written off print advertising from your “to do list” in your marketing campaign… think again. It is in fact a lethal weapon that could just help you make a bigger, better and more lasting impact.

About Chris Rabkin

Chris is a commercial artist and owner of imageProjektions Design Group. He lives in Florida with his wife Heather and their two children Brayden and Brinsley. Chris is an avid community contributor and is finding ways to give back to the community in effective and inventive ways. Chris and his son Brayden both race BMX and are very active in the BMX community in their area as well as in the BMX community outside the State of Florida.