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In Atlantic Business Magazine’s January issue, we announced that we were embarking on a bold experiment. According to documented industry research, magazine readers are reportedly more receptive to advertising than any other audience. Now, after years of preaching about magazines’ ability to drive consumer behavior, we’re taking our argument to the next level: we’re going to prove the effectiveness of powerful print ads – when they’re in the right publication, of course.
To build our case, we’re inviting all of our regular advertisers (anyone who has already booked three ads or more from 2009 to 2010) to tell us why magazine advertising works for them. The advertiser who supplies the most compelling response will win the dedicated attention of some of the region’s top creative minds. Six Atlantic Canadian advertising agencies will each prepare their version of an award-winning campaign for our “test subject”, with the client and public voting for the best campaign. The campaign with the highest number of votes will appear in three issues of Atlantic Business Magazine. (That’s the Cole’s Notes version, complete contest details are on our website: atlanticbusinessmagazine.com)
How will we measure ROI? That really depends on what the campaign is designed to accomplish. Is it meant to drive website traffic? Change a certain behavior? Increase customer inquiries? Sell a product or service? Each of those goals is measurable, which is what we’ll be monitoring – and reporting to you, our readers – throughout the campaign.
For the six amazing agencies involved (you can find out who they are by turning the page), this is an opportunity to remind the largest audience of business readers in Atlantic Canada that powerful, evocative, emotionally charged, award-winning creative is always a wise investment, regardless of whatever market forces are at play.
We admit – it’s scary not knowing how this will turn out. But we’re confident enough about the outcome that we’re willing to put our reputation on the line to find out. If you’d like to come along for the ride, we invite you to follow us on our website, Facebook, Twitter (ABM_Editor) and in the pages of your favorite business magazine. We don’t need to tell you who that is – you already what we’re talking about.
Hi, we’re Extreme A 45-person agency headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia with 14 people in a Toronto satellite office. So who says it can’t be done here? We’re doing it – and pretty damn well too.
The anti-agency In 2010, we stop being an advertising agency. We still do ads. Great ones at that, but we apply our experience and thinking to every way that brands and consumers interact. We are taking back the word interactive from the digital guys. Interactive means ‘to interact’ not ‘to do something online.’ The ultimate interaction is an actual conversation between two people. Our work ignites those conversations regardless of the tools or media. So bring it on ‘interactive’ shops, we’ll show you what it really means.
About mediocrity We are not going to apologize for trying to be great every day. Sometimes that is what is expected from Atlantic Canadians – “sorry for trying to excel”, “so sorry for being noticed.” Instead, we’re sorry if you’re not striving for greatness too and we’re immensely proud if you are.
Portfolio piece As non-conformists, we will not name a signature campaign but a signature area of practice – social marketing. Social marketing is the art of changing behavior and is usually used to further social causes. Our best and most recognized work in this area is our anti-smoking campaign and our workplace injury prevention work. The latter was recognized with a Bronze Lion at the Cannes International Advertising Festival. More importantly the two campaigns have seen Nova Scotia go from worst to best in smoking rates in Canada and workplace injury awareness increase in the three provinces running the injury prevention campaigns.
Who we are Impact is a collective of marketing, branding, creative and interactive consultants. Founded in 1995 and based in Halifax, Impact has made its mark delivering results. We have national reach, and we’ve been recognized internationally for our work. We bring a thoughtful approach that combines communications acumen, creative thinking, and results-oriented strategy.
