Ad Ideas for June: Summer Fun

June officially welcomes summer and all the great activities that come with it. Many of these businesses can run special Father’s Day promotions too.

Ad and promotion ideas:

• Create a vendor section promoting an area destination such as a nearby zoo, where they assist in selling the ad space to their vendors in exchange for the editorial space.
• Create a summer activities guide using articles from MultiAd along with a calendar listing of area events.
• Create a regular ad spot with extra promotion featuring summer deals, cool destination or even tastes of summer.
• Create a section of reader submitted tips on the best ways to have fun during the summer. 
• Create a photo gallery from reader submissions showing them “beating the heat” with “cool activities.”
• Create a summer coupons page, with possible themes such as ways to stay cool, outdoor activities, places to visit, good eats, etc. 

Businesses to contact:

• Summer camps, vacation bible schools, sports camps
• Zoo’s, aquariums, children’s museums, farm parks
• Vacation destinations
• Carnivals, fairs and festivals
• Back yard activity supply stores
• Pools and water parks
• Farmers’ markets
• Gardening supply stores
• Garage sales and flea markets
• Fishing, camping, hiking and boating retailers and destinations
• Baseball stadiums
• Golf courses
• Retailers hosting sidewalk sales
• Ice cream shops
• Recreational vehicle dealers

Advertising Ideas for June: Wedding Gifts

June kicks off a five-month stretch of the most popular months for weddings and until recently was the busiest for the wedding industry.

 According to theknot.com, September (14%) is now the most popular month followed by June (13%) and October (12%). Then August (11.5%) rolls in at fourth and July (10%) rounds out the top five. 

While many gift registries are bigger chains, they don’t have to be and not everyone sticks to the registry list anyway. Plus showers and bachelor/bachelorette parties add even more to the average gift giving budget, not to mention wedding goer needs such as clothing.

Ad and promotion ideas:

• Create a wedding gift giving etiquette guide 
• Create a bachelor/bachelorette party attendee guide
• Create a list of low cost and nearby honeymoon destinations for last minute decisions
• Create a section with tips on what to wear as a guest for each wedding-related function
• Create a signature ad with gift certificate ideas
• Create a gift guide with more unique gifts, certificate or monetary gifts, such as savings bonds, landscaping and related consultations, pampering gift certificates, cooking lessons, etc. 
• Host a contest along the lines of “who has the most wedding related events to attend”

Businesses to contact: 

• Clothing stores
• Specialty gift stores
• Bars and restaurants
• Hotels and honeymoon destinations
• Liquor stores
• Banks
• Department stores
• Services such as landscaping, massages, cleaning, cooking lessons, etc

Ad Ideas for May: Reasons to Celebrate

May has a reason to host a celebration, party or gathering for just about everyone: Cinco De Mayo and the Kentucky Derby are May 5, Mother’s day is May 13, the Indy 500 is May 27 and Memorial day is May 28. Most proms and graduations also occur in May as well as many weddings. 

Ad Promotion Ideas:

• Create a special section tailored to hosting great events using editorial from MultiAd or even consider letting advertisers write them in exchange for ad space.
• Create a recipe book for May events such as good potluck dishes, party snacks and ways to cook on the grill.
• Create themed signature ad pages either by occasion or party planning needs, such as location, decorating, food, entertainment, etc.
• Create a signature ad pages for people who want to celebrate at bars or restaurants.
• Create a gift guide for Mother’s Day and graduations.
• Provide a sponsored coloring page or ideas for kids to use your newspaper to create a gift for Mother’s Day.

Businesses to Contact:

• Party supply stores
• Caterers
• Grocery stores
• Specialty food shops 
• Liquor stores
• Rental halls and facilities 
• Restaurants and bars
• Flower shops
• Card shops 
• Gift stores
• TV, electronics and furniture stores (indoor sports watching and outside barbeque needs)
• Sporting goods and home improvement stores (outside party activities and preparation supplies)
• Party planners
• Cultural and event centers hosting related activities
• Event photographers 
• Bands and DJs 
• Hair stylists and beauty salons (celebration preparations)

Ad Ideas for May: Teacher Appreciation

This year Teacher Appreciation Week is May 7–11 and National Teacher Day is May 8, 2012.

Advertising and promotion ideas include:

• Create a signature ad page for businesses themselves to show appreciation for teachers by offering special coupons and deals on teacher supplies or even self-pampering.
• Bakeries and gift shops can promote special teacher themed items.
• Create a special section filled with notes of appreciation and recognition from students and parents or just a run a few in each issue sponsored by various (or one) businesses.
• Create a tie in to your Newspapers in Education program, such as feature teachers using it and request donations to help others.
• Encourage local stores or shopping centers to offer a value-added bonus to gift cards to help stretch the value further, such as coupons, tote bags, classroom supplies, etc.
• Provide a sponsored coloring page with a space for a personal message kids can give to their teachers.
• Create a signature ad encouraging less traditional gift cards by theme.

Businesses to Contact

• Bakeries and candy stores
• Card, gift and novelty shops
• Personalized item stores
• Spas and salons
• Restaurants
• School supply stores
• Malls, shopping centers and stores offering gift cards

Advertising Ideas for April: All Things Green

The month of April and the color green are tied together in so many ways. The grass in most areas is turning a vibrant green as are the buds on the trees and many garden plants. Golf course greens are seeing spring traffic, some even opening after being closed all winter. Tax returns allow people to spend some extra green. And of course Earth Day is about all things eco-friendly and green. Here are some ideas to get your advertisers to spend some green with you while earning some themselves.

• Do signature ad series on any of these topics by featuring different aspects each week. Such as golf courses, golf supplies and golf lessons. Or lawn care service providers by specialty (mowing, complete lawn care packages or non toxic weed control) as well as do-it-yourself suppliers.
• Encourage color upsells during April. As the winter dreariness is being replaced by spring colors, ads featuring vibrant greens (and other colors) will subtly connect and make them stand out and grab even more attention.
• Tax return ideas: clip and save coupons, deals to stretch the return farther, “tax credits too complicated? Here's a simple deal,” “need a break from paying taxes? We'll pay your sales tax.”
• Lawn and garden ideas: get a jump start on a great looking yard, kid safe and pet safe treatments, new contract specials and free services offer for contacts signed by 4/4.
• Golf ideas: promote deals for less popular tee times, get private lessons to start the season right and book your foursome weekly promotions.
• Earth Day ideas: Save green by going green, green the air with green plants, products to reduce your consumption (energy, water, etc.), cleaning and maintenance to extend product life, fix leaks to reduce waste and creative ways to recycle.

Advertising Ideas for April: Two Opportunities for Fun

April has two opportunities to inject a little fun into ads. Taking the Super Bowl as a recent example, consumers can find enjoyment in ads, even seeking them out and talking about them.

The first opportunity is Sunday, April 1, also known as April Fool’s Day. Local businesses can easily do a promotion along the lines of “No Fooling/Joke Deals.” But with a little creativity, they can use humor and a prank of sorts to generate some buzz. Target businesses known for having a fun personality. Those with a more serious tone but whose target audience isn't likely to be easily offended or confused can pull out a surprise win. Others not willing to “fool” their customers can promote items that would help in pulling off a prank or novelty items like whoopee cushions.

2012 is a special year with three Friday the 13ths—the most any year can have. April 13 is the second one and gives advertisers an excuse to play up superstition-driven ads. Simple promotions could include giving people a little extra luck for the day in the form of lucky pennies, four leaf clovers or $1 in every wallet sold (unlucky to give one without money).

Business owners who live for Halloween fun may be thrilled to bust out some black cats and related imagery in April. Businesses with delivery services can play into fear by encouraging people to stay safe at home and let them do the driving (and cooking). On the flip side, daring advertisers can create sales where everything is 13% off (more cautious ones can mark down all items that are $13, etc.). It’s also simply an opportunity to play up any superstition. Creating a special section on the history and folklore behind all things lucky and unlucky is sure to attract curious readers.

For both opportunities, it’s best to contact advertisers who have a sense of humor or at least target an audience who does. Big brands like Google, Kodak and the U.S. Army, among others, had some prank fun last year, but companies do run the risk of customers taking offense or being angered by false information.

Ad Ideas for March: Medical Industry

While there may be lots of debate as to what health care should entail, there’s no debate that Americans spend a lot on it, especially as they age. Here are a few ideas for getting more medical ads in your media.

• Help doctors or groups stand out by focusing on their specialty. Educational ads, explaining what they do or why someone might need to see them, can open the door to new clients.
• Use research and studies in ad to show doctors or groups are staying current on trends while creating name recognition and association with the types of info they are sharing.
• Advertise patient testimonials to build credibility.
• Encourage ad copy that addresses target audiences’ concerns and connects with the benefits patients will receive.
• Create a special section profiling health issues and consider allowing advertisers to write articles as part of the ad package.
• Create directory ads by specialty or selling points, such as extended hours, onsite testing or electronic records.
• If there’s not a lot of competition, encourage ads focused on patient education and tips or causes such as:

Observances and Holidays in March include:

• American (and Canadian) Red Cross Month in March
• Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month in March
• Deaf History Month in March
• Caffeine Awareness Month in March
• Eye Donor Month in March
• Frozen Food Month in March
• National Nutrition Month in March
• National Peanut Month in March (allergy docs or health benefits)
• Poison Prevention Awareness Month in March
• Sing with Your Child Month in March (mental health)
• Workplace Eye Health and Safety Month in March
• Save Your Vision Month in March
• National Sleep Awareness Week March 5-11, 2012
• World Kidney Day March 8
• World TB Day March 24, 2012
• World Water Day March 22, 2012
• American Diabetes Association Alert Day March 27, 2012
• National Doctors’ Day March 30

Businesses to contact include all doctors, hospitals and medical and health associations. Don’t forget to branch out and include everything from psychiatrists and gynecologists to pharmacists and dietitians.