Ideas box
Generic marketing Magazines can be used for creative advertising. Ringier proves it with a luxury handbook.
Generic marketing Magazines can be used for creative advertising. Ringier proves it with a luxury handbook Print advertising is more than just advertisements. With the new BlueBox, Ringier impressively demonstrates this to its customers. The elaborately produced ring binder in a slipcase brings together 56 special forms of advertising that can be placed in the publisher's magazines and in Cash. From inserts and scent ads to bookmarks - each form is described and illustrated on one page of the planning manual. Variants such as portal ads or poster cover pictures are even included in mini format to illustrate the possibilities.
The BlueBox is the brainchild of Thomas Passen (Head of Readership and Advertising Market) and Oliver Bernheim (Head of Internal Advertising). "When talking to customers, I noticed that some consider print advertising to be less emotional than electronic media," says Bernheim. He counters this prejudice with the variety of special forms of advertising. There was a forerunner of the BlueBox at the end of the 1990s in the Burda publishing house. But that was a simply made book, says Bernheim: "We wanted something more 'Ringier-likes' that would work as a popular medium."
Together with project manager Carolina Reiber, Head of Advertising Services Zurich, and the Aformat agency, Bernheim developed the idea into the BlueBox over a period of twelve months. The first step was to collect over 50 conceivable special advertising formats. "We then clarified with the editorial offices and printers where which forms could be implemented," explains Bernheim. While product samples are possible in all titles, only Schweizer Illustrierte and Tele currently offer scent ads.
Should this change, the BlueBox can be easily updated thanks to the modular ring binder concept. The tariff sheets are to be replaced annually. "Because we don't just distribute the BlueBox, but always hand it over to our customers personally, we also know where to distribute the updates," explains Bernheim. For him, the most important customers are the creative agencies, as this is where the first generic decision is usually made. However, media agencies and customers also receive one of the 2000 copies.
In mid-May, a special treat is added: Blue Eyes Marketing has researched the impact of eight of the most common forms of special advertising on the readership of Ringier magazines and Cash. The results will be made available on a CD-ROM as a supplement to the BlueBox.
A blue egg laidNot only the BlueBox itself, but also its introduction was elaborately designed by Ringier. Teaser advertisements were placed in the trade press from mid-March. Shortly before Easter, key customers and advertising agencies received a blue box with a giant blue Easter egg as an appetizer. The handbook has been distributed and presented in person since April 7.
"We wanted to announce the BlueBox in a playful way and make people a bit 'gluschtig'," says Oliver Bernheim, Head of Internal Advertising. The name was also created with the launch campaign in mind. At first, the project was prosaically called "Specialty Book", a term that was not particularly suitable for marketing. After the decision was made to put the manual in a box for protection, the word "box" came to mind. "We decided on blue," explains Bernheim, "because blue is modern and can be played with." (sm)
56 special advertising formats in Ringier's BlueBox.
Stefano Monachesi
The BlueBox is the brainchild of Thomas Passen (Head of Readership and Advertising Market) and Oliver Bernheim (Head of Internal Advertising). "When talking to customers, I noticed that some consider print advertising to be less emotional than electronic media," says Bernheim. He counters this prejudice with the variety of special forms of advertising. There was a forerunner of the BlueBox at the end of the 1990s in the Burda publishing house. But that was a simply made book, says Bernheim: "We wanted something more 'Ringier-likes' that would work as a popular medium."
Together with project manager Carolina Reiber, Head of Advertising Services Zurich, and the Aformat agency, Bernheim developed the idea into the BlueBox over a period of twelve months. The first step was to collect over 50 conceivable special advertising formats. "We then clarified with the editorial offices and printers where which forms could be implemented," explains Bernheim. While product samples are possible in all titles, only Schweizer Illustrierte and Tele currently offer scent ads.
Should this change, the BlueBox can be easily updated thanks to the modular ring binder concept. The tariff sheets are to be replaced annually. "Because we don't just distribute the BlueBox, but always hand it over to our customers personally, we also know where to distribute the updates," explains Bernheim. For him, the most important customers are the creative agencies, as this is where the first generic decision is usually made. However, media agencies and customers also receive one of the 2000 copies.
In mid-May, a special treat is added: Blue Eyes Marketing has researched the impact of eight of the most common forms of special advertising on the readership of Ringier magazines and Cash. The results will be made available on a CD-ROM as a supplement to the BlueBox.
A blue egg laidNot only the BlueBox itself, but also its introduction was elaborately designed by Ringier. Teaser advertisements were placed in the trade press from mid-March. Shortly before Easter, key customers and advertising agencies received a blue box with a giant blue Easter egg as an appetizer. The handbook has been distributed and presented in person since April 7.
"We wanted to announce the BlueBox in a playful way and make people a bit 'gluschtig'," says Oliver Bernheim, Head of Internal Advertising. The name was also created with the launch campaign in mind. At first, the project was prosaically called "Specialty Book", a term that was not particularly suitable for marketing. After the decision was made to put the manual in a box for protection, the word "box" came to mind. "We decided on blue," explains Bernheim, "because blue is modern and can be played with." (sm)
56 special advertising formats in Ringier's BlueBox.
Stefano Monachesi
