To say the least 2009 has been a challenge in so many ways. The economy up, then down, ever changing technology and knowing when to embrace it or let it pass. One of the many changing issues is our advertising media and the associated campaigns used to reach new customers.
We produced a Valpak ad this last quarter and before we did, I checked into whether other business owners had good responses or less than desirable ones. What I found on the Internet was some pretty favorable results so we made the decision to try it. I wish I could say the same but so far, it is less than desirable and I would not endorse the process or recommend this advertising format for companies in the future.
Our process started when they could not provide us with an ad template, nor can you find one on the Internet, for their ad size. I thought that odd, but moved forward anyway. Next the ad that we sent Valpak advertising did not look at all like the one we produced and when asked what I thought of it, I just replied, yuck. Then there was the Valpak advertising shock of all shocks, buried somewhere in the fine print of the contract it is stated that you can only change the ad one time! And of course, since you have to rely on their art department, there was no telling what you would receive. Two more indications that we should have turned away before it was too late.
The representative that handled all the art corrections did in fact spend a few hours taking notes and correcting the ad copy for the ad they produced. Still not satisfied with the ad overall, we allowed it to go to print. The response from the ad...nothing. Second month, still nothing. So, I did a little research and here is what I found.
A quick search of printed media turns out a little over 86 million hits. Many of them state that printed ads are dead starting in the last quarter of 2008. In their debate room BusinessWeek.com asks a simple question, "Surpassed in convenience and economy by online content, printed magazines and newspapers will dry up in the next decade. Pro or con?" The article takes a pro and con approach to the costs involved in printed ad, definitely worth the read.
Now that 2009 is coming to a close soon, one of the decisions we will not make again is advertising with printed ads. The social advertising media costs are far less, reach far greater audiences and allow you to change content in real time. Valpak Advertising costs differ between locations and demographic selections. A business could invest their advertising dollar more effectively in another advertising media.
I will update this article when the final run is completed, but for now, my answer to the question is no, Valpak is not a good value any longer or at least it has not produced the results we were hoping for.
