blackdragon Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 I am interested in some feed back about this magazine. I have to start my budget for next year and I need your input. We have advertized in it several times and we don't get enough response. Thanks in Advance! Ivan Walcott USPSA Program Manager Armscor Precision Inc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Same here. First run they put my ad in the Nazi Lover's section. Second run - better placement - same total lack of response. Third run - we'll see. The problem with advertising in any medium is that people need to see you there at least 3X generally before they decide to buy, it doesn't matter if you're selling a $2.99 widget or a $10 million dollar industrial system. What's sad, is that SG news is running some very nice articles these days. It's a shame that it doesn't seem to be a more responsive advertising medium. I'd love to advertise in more glossy magazines, but the price per ad is absolutely breathtaking. You can drop $5K without even thinking about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted December 15, 2004 Author Share Posted December 15, 2004 Yea we have advertised over the last couple of years and so far it has not been good. I will give it one more chance. But I would like to hear some of the groups ideas as well, Thanks EricW! Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 --What do you suppose the readership of the publication is...? --Is the product being advertised distinctly and specifically appropriate to that readership....? --Are you advertising in EACH issue...? (I'm assuming it's a monthly rag) --Is your graphic presentation competitive in appearance with some of the better advert layouts in the rest of the mag...? --Have you received preferential placement in each issue (or are you even allowed preferences...)? --Are their rates/fees competitive with other publications or are they higher...? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mpolans Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 It seems Shotgun News used to be a lot thicker with lots of great deals. Now, it seems there isn't much to be found, and a lot more ads that say "P.O.R." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Attila Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 I believe that with the success of sites such as GunsAmerica and GunBroker, the importance of Shotgun News has dwindled. That doesnt bring into account the many forums like this one that cater to a specific genre of shooting. If you want something specific for a type of firearm or a gun itself, find the right BB and you will find everything related to that type of shooting. If it is not listed there, the members of that forum will tell you the best place to get it. Before the internet sites, SGN and gunshows where the places to find good deals. Now both SGN and shows seem to be more about paraphanalia and ammo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dunn Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 My suggestion for selling Armscor ammo in SG News: 1) Call it "Recently discovered stockpile of newly manufactured surplus ammo" 2) Sell it by the case only 3) Package the ammo loose in 20mm ammo cans or old wooden crates, or even a "tin" that requires a can opener 4) Include a warning that this ammo may penetrate concrete or mild steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merlin Orr Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 My suggestion for selling Armscor ammo in SG News:1) Call it "Recently discovered stockpile of newly manufactured surplus ammo" 2) Sell it by the case only 3) Package the ammo loose in 20mm ammo cans or old wooden crates, or even a "tin" that requires a can opener 4) Include a warning that this ammo may penetrate concrete or mild steel. It seems from John's reply that he may feel the readership of Shotgun News may have a lot of members that belong to the "Mall Ninja" group..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tightloop Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 It all boils down to the print media loosing ground to the internet..print media now is very specific to industy and if you don;t have a niche, you can't get to the readers you need to... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cking Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Interesting comments. As a Subscriber I not sure I will renew again. Articles are better, but the ads are same old thing every month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactustactical Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Shotgun News was originally setup years ago as a wholesale / dealers type magazine that was a central place to find re-sale supplies without pouring through individual wholesaler catalogs. Over the years, they opened up their ads (probably becasue the advertisers insisted) to more generic type ads that would also appeal to the retail market. Places like GG&G and CDNN are big advertisers and they both blur the line between wholesale and retail. We have subscribed for at least 10 years to the News, we used to make a lot of large purchases from it. Now with the advent of online, accurate inventories on our suppliers web sites, there is no need to look through it. The magazine comes and sits unused. We will probably not re-new over the next year or so, it is really not relevant as a wholesale buying tool any longer. I can not speak much from the retail purchasing aspect. although I suspect the same principle (internet availability to data) applies to the retail segment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Boudrie Posted December 15, 2004 Share Posted December 15, 2004 Shotgun News became so popular wiht non-FFLs that it lost credibility as a "Dealers" publication. You're not going to find the prices available only to stocking FFL dealers in that publication, and some of the manufacturers prohibit mentioning of true dealer prices in any non-restricted publication. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted December 15, 2004 Author Share Posted December 15, 2004 I like John Dunns Recomendation Probably a lot of truth in that! Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted December 15, 2004 Author Share Posted December 15, 2004 Sig Lady, From what I can tell we have been doing the cutting edge ads in SNG. What ever that means?. We have tryed different placements. I'm trying to see how many people actually read it. As far as the rates are concerned they are cheap by all other advertising, Probably why they get so many. We had their graphic dept. do our last Ad. It was color but i'm not sure if they were " Gun people". That was the reason I chose you for our Banner ad! ( Looks Great By The Way!) Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted December 16, 2004 Author Share Posted December 16, 2004 Sounds like SNG is not looked upon in good light by most competitive shooters. And dealers a like. Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 I looked through the 12/20 issue yesterday (saw your ad, Ivan... about 6 pages in) and was thoroughly unimpressed. Everything's slammed together, so you have to know what you're looking for. I spent about 10 minutes trying to find a company selling Glocks... no love. If it were $2.50, I mighta walked away with it anyway, but at $3.99 fugghedaboudit. Spend your money elsewhere, Ivan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted December 16, 2004 Author Share Posted December 16, 2004 Thats what using in house artists got me! Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 I can't IMAGINE being a graphic 'artist' on the staff of any periodical publication without a working knowledge of or an appreciation of the product or service being featured by that publication. There's something rather illogical about that. But I see it happening locally, too, so... Does anyone have a moment to scan Ivan's ad from the magazine page so I can see it...? (I don't have any copies of Shotgun News and probably can't LOCATE any). Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DJPoLo Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 (I don't have any copies of Shotgun News and probably can't LOCATE any). How funny. It's available in almost every supermarket here (Austin). -Chet Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted December 16, 2004 Author Share Posted December 16, 2004 sorry SL, I don't have a scanner in the office Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 Thats what using in house artists got me! Ivan Didn't mean that to read as I was thoroughly unimpressed with your ad, but rather the whole rag was a letdown. Your ad was decent compared to what else is in there (they got the colors right). Move on, man. If it's not making you any money, it's a waste of money. Get an ad in the back of a magazine with wider distribution. As much as it pains me to say it (either 'cause I dislike what the rags have become or because I used to work for the company that publishes 'em), spend money on one of the major publications out there. Even if it's for a business card-sized ad, it'll be money better spent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 I totally agree. "Exposure" is what one first seeks in advertising, then "responses." If the 'exposure' portion of the game is faulty or lacking (not thru any fault of the advertiser, necessarily), then an immediate step should be taken to minimize the loss and buy UPWARD. If you've had a year or so of exposure in SGN to work from, then that's considerable exposure and is cause for valid re-assessment of the investment. You're better off, yes, with perhaps a smaller footprint of real estate in a 'better' publication with greater readership, a more vivid professional image and a more appropriate line of product... than to continue with a money-pit advertising expenditure ongoing that's making you nervous or nuts. BTW, what were/have been the DIMENSIONS of your current advert...? OK, I'm headed over to Barnes and Noble (only a mile away) to see if this rag is on the shelf. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackdragon Posted December 16, 2004 Author Share Posted December 16, 2004 I believe our Ad is 1/4 page. We have been trying this forquite some time. Iam beginning to think that SGN is for people who have a lot of time on their hands. Ivan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SiG Lady Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 Just got back... Barnes & Noble had ONE copy of Shotgun News--the January edition. I didn't see anything that resembled Ivan's wares or anything. I also didn't realize that it was a tabloid-ish sized publication printed on a newsprint-like tissue (which would influence, for example, my approach to any graphic arrangement in this case, owing to dot-bleed factor on stock of this kind). The publication also seems quite "busy" and dense with content, diluting the attention of ANY reader to some extent... more like an auction catalogue than a 'magazine' such as, say, Guns & Ammo, HANDGUNS, Gun World and the like. A quarter-page in Shotgun News, however, would not be small pickings... just part of the bigger jumble of competing ads, though. And the other element is the black-n-white part. This does not appear to be a predominantly color display publication. Given the density of content and display all in black and white, it would be easy for an advertiser to be overlooked in this context. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
diehli Posted December 16, 2004 Share Posted December 16, 2004 It looked more like a 1/6th ad to me, Ivan. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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