Environmental Tips

Do you care about your environment? No, not saving the planet or going green - we are talking about media placement.

Clearly there are certain ad placements that are advantageous - front or back inside covers, right side over left side, primetime network television. But did you ever think about choosing your ad space based on the other advertisers in the magazine?

A recent study in the Journal of Consumer Research shows that "expert" consumers that had knowledge about the target product's category were more likely to look favorably on a brand when its ad was placed near high end brands in noncompetitive categories - such as putting Armani or Rolex next to an ad for Honda.

Once the consumers were given technical specifications about the target product, their view changed accordingly.

So what does this mean for your media placements? Pay attention to who is around you - and not just your direct competition. Maybe a little savvy media placement can give your brand a boost. But be careful to know your audience - the study also showed that novices tended to have the opposite reaction, evaluating the target brand less favorably.