Press advertising

Newspaper advertising. There are different types of press in Hong Kong and there are three sub-categories just under newspapers:

• Paid Newspaper. The main source of income for paid newspapers are usually the money charged from patrons for each newspaper sold rather than charging from advertisers, therefore advertising cost on paid newspapers would be relatively lower since they depend less on advertisements to sustain their business. Advertisers would be drawn to paid newspaper advertisements because of their loyal readerships and its lower advertising cost.
• Free Newspaper. Free newspaper can be found to be given out in various locations, at housing estates, in MTR stations, or near bus stops and usually has more irregular readers since it is free of charge and welcomes anyone to read it. However, since free newspapers almost entirely depend on advertising to make up for the production cost, the advertising cost for free newspapers are generally more expensive.
• Online Newspaper. This is one of the newer types of press in Hong Kong, which has a continuously increasing popularity. Online newspaper advertisements could involve display advertisements on the websites themselves or have featured articles on the newspaper specifically to promote sponsored products.

Magazine advertising. Magazines are usually more specific, and each genre of magazines are slightly different. Despite the differences between the many genres of magazines, they can still be generalised:

• Paid Magazine. They usually target specific audiences, and their content and advertisements surround the genre or themes of the specific magazine. Since magazines are better produced than newspapers and the readers have paid for the magazine, there is a high probability that readers are going to retain the magazine instead of discarding it after one read. This gives possible re-exposure to your advertisement
• Free Magazine. This type of magazine is less common in Hong Kong but can usually be found where people would stay for a prolonged period to provide extra entertainment. Some magazines are usually not to be taken away and should be returned upon reading, while others would be given free to take.

Press Advertising Formats

Newspaper:

• Specified Position: Areas that are most easily seen and more likely to be read by readers
• Mega Front Cover: the entire front page of the newspaper with a small box in the corner for the name of the newspaper 
• Front Cover: full front page of the newspaper under the masthead
• Mini Front Cover: front-page advertisement under the masthead and a vertical bar beside it
• Front Page Top/Bottom Banner: a horizontal bar either on the top or the bottom of the front page
• Centre Spread: Two consecutive full pages right in the middle of the newspaper
• Outside Back Cover: the entire page of the back cover
• Section A: The first section of the newspaper which covers the most important news and where people pay the most attention to; Usually the 3rd,5th,7th, and 9th page.

Newspaper and Magazine:

• Run of Page (ROP): The inner pages of the where articles are located
• Full Page
• Half Page Vertical
• Half Page Horizontal
• Junior Page: Less than a full page but bigger than a quarter page; situated in the bottom corners
• Quarter Page: One fourth of a page, usually in the bottom corners

>>> Read more about types, formats, and ad price for press advertising

Why Press Advertising?

1. Build brand reputation. When readers read something from credible magazines or newspapers, they are more likely to believe what they read and take into consideration the products they have seen. By using press advertising, you have the benefit of riding on the reputation and the credibility of the type of press you are advertising on. Say you are a fashion brand, and you chose a highly reputable fashion magazine to promote your brand, readers would believe your brand must have certain reputation to be able to advertise on such magazine. Therefore, it can let readers think highly of your brand.
2. Customizability. As previously stated, there are different types of press ads, different types and genres of newspapers and magazines, even different sizes and locations of advertisements among the same magazines and newspapers. Because of the disparate options for press advertising, the advertisements would be highly customizable. The target audience, the size and even location of the advertisement and gives you more control over the advertisements.
3. Readers able to retain advertisements. Print advertisements are the only form of advertising that would allow for readers to keep a physical copy. Magazines were of course much more well produced and would be more desired to be kept so they could be read further in the future. For newspapers, thought they are not as well produced and are of lower quality, there are often coupon cut-outs in newspaper that would be convenient for readers to keep. Press advertising would give the advantage of letting readers keep physical copies, giving readers the constant reminder of your brand.