New GfK Starch® Report Reveals The Power Of “Spectacular” Ads

–Size Does Matter Especially When Combined with Innovation and "Spectacular" Ads–

NEW YORK–February 26, 2007–GfK Starch® Communications, a division of GfK Custom Research North America, released a new report today revealing the impact of multiple pages, inserts, and “spectacular” units on advertising readership.

According to the report “Do Spectacular Ads Generate Spectacular Results?” presented in the firm’s publication, Tested CopyTM both recognition and readership of ad copy rise as the number of pages increases. The findings suggest that an added investment in such advertising can result in a significant payoff for the advertiser.

The study, commissioned by Time Inc., reviews the average readership of “spectacular” ads including multi-page units, gatefolds, inserts, and scented strips and offers insights into their performance across three key categories: “Noted,” the percentage of readers who remember seeing the ad -- a measure of stopping power; “Associated,” the percentage of readers who recall seeing the name of the advertiser or product -- a measure of branding; and “Read Most,” the percentage who read half or more of the copy -- a measure of reader involvement with the ad.

“This study is particularly important now, as print advertisers try to find new ways to gain the attention of a reader,” says Caryn Klein, VP, Business Research & Insights, Time Inc. “It is clear from this analysis that print advertisers who creatively explore – and expand – the possibilities of print can indeed have a profound effect on a target audience.”

The report also features readership data on several unusually innovative ads that extend beyond the two dimensions of the typical print ad. One hair conditioning ad for Clairol Herbal Essences with Hawafena, is a four-page insert. Upon opening the ad, the reader is greeted with a brief audio clip of Handel’s Hallelujah chorus, employing the name of the new product ingredient, “Hawafena” in place of “Hallelujah.”   According to the report, “Readership scores for the Hawafena ad are extraordinary and 100% of the publication’s readers ‘Noted’, ‘Associated’, and ‘Read Some’ of the ad,” a result that is unmatched in the firm’s recent history.

“It’s clear that sheer ‘tonnage” does matter – increasing the number of pages or altering the size and ‘weight’ of the page increases the probability that an ad will be seen and read,” explains Philip W. Sawyer, Sr. Vice President and Director of     GfK Starch® Communications.  “When that added weight is combined with technological innovation and creativity, the results can be truly spectacular.”

Smell the Difference
The study also investigated the extent of reader recognition and involvement with scented-strip ads, used primarily by fragrance companies. The report reveals that although recognition of scented-strip ads is only slightly higher than comparable two-page spread ads without a scented strip, readership of body copy of scented-strip ads increased by 136%. Sawyer adds, “The data strongly suggests that women tend to be highly involved with scented-strip ads.”

About the "Spectacular" Ad Study
Using readership data gathered from in-person studies between January 2000 and October 2005, the study examined multi-page ads (from three to ten pages), gatefolds, inserts (a non-standard unit typically on heavier stock that is added into the publication and usually not paginated), and fragrance ads featuring perfume scented strips.

Each “spectacular” ad was ranked in three readership categories: “Noted,” “Associated,” and “Read Most” and then indexed against the average readership scores of traditional two-page, four-color ads.  For example, an index of 125 in the “Noted” category indicates the ad scored 25% above the “Noted” average for traditional ads and an index of 90 means the ad scored 10% below.

For a complete copy of the “Do Spectacular Ads Generate Spectacular Results?” report please contact GfK Custom Research North America at or 212-240-5300.

About GfK Starch® Communications...
GfK Starch® is the leader in print ad readership measurement.  Its in-person research methodology combines a unique blend of proprietary insights with an extensive print ad database and provides clients with a better understanding of their target markets and audiences.

About GfK Custom Research North America...
Headquartered in New York, GfK Custom Research North America is part of the GfK Group.  With home offices in Nuremberg, Germany, the GfK Group is among the top-five market research organizations in the world.  Its activities cover five business divisions: Custom Research, Retail and Technology, Consumer Tracking, Media and Healthcare. In addition to 13 subsidiaries in Germany, the GfK Group has more than 130 subsidiaries and affiliates in 61 countries.

About Time Inc...
Time Inc., a Time Warner company, is one of the largest content companies in the world. With approximately 150 magazines, it is the largest magazine publisher in the U.S. and U.K. Each month, one of out every two American adults reads a Time Inc. magazine, and one out of every 10 visits a company website (more than 19 million unique visitors). Time Inc.’s popular brands and successful franchises extend to online, television, cable VOD, satellite radio, mobile devices, events and branded products.

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