That’s what the case study section aims to clear up. Not necessarily a campaign, not always a single year’s effort and often a collection of work that spans our disciplines, the case studies shows how it all came together. All we need is a little red bow.

THE CHALLENGE: If the last time you were looking for a car, treadmill or set of tropical windmill garden avifauna, you turned to Craig, eBay, AutoTrader, or anywhere but a newspaper classified ad, then you understand the problem. How do we make what is perceived to be an antiquated, analog and nearly abandoned venue for buying and selling relevant?

THE APPROACH: After reviewing Media Audit and talking with our client, buyers and sellers, we discovered The Register-Guard had several offerings the competition lacked. The newspaper is viewed as reliable, trustworthy and effective—key in an age of spam, scams and more. And better still, despite our competition’s efforts, no other source can reach more local buyers and sellers.

THE WORK: We ran ads on TV, in the paper itself and online. The TV drove home the point of reaching more local buyers. We also hoped to remind them of the tried and trueness the paper offers by tapping into a uniquely print classifieds experience: circling and highlighting ads. And to hit on The Register-Guard’s online offering, we used some special photo effects and mouse cursers (trust us, if you see the ad, it works). In print, we featured buyers with a tongue-in-cheek “need” that could be solved with a circled classified ad featured on the page, which also served as a visual connection to the television spot.

THE RESULTS: Craig who? Early opinions of the campaign have been overwhelmingly positive. The Register-Guard Classifieds, in print and online, continues to be top-of-mind for both buyers and sellers: evidenced by the daily ad placements.

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