Your venue should be able to supply some good advice on where and when to advertise.

Depending on your budget, you may also choose to advertise in suburban papers but

make sure you've covered the basics before you start spreading out.

Magazines tend to have a national circulation and therefore a broader reach than

newspapers. This makes it more difficult to do targeted advertising through magazines. 

Most magazines work to a deadline ranging from a few weeks to a few months out from

the publication date. 

Some magazines can also take inserts of your flyer although this can be costly. A cost 

effective approach is to find out if the magazines can break down their circulation

geographically, then have your insert placed in relevant regions only.

One way to target your advertising is to place an advertisement or insert in an industry

magazine: e.g. you may choose to promote a dance show in Dance Aotearoa New

Zealand's (DANZ) magazine. Such a magazine will be read primarily by other people in

the industry, who are likely to hear about your show through word of mouth anyway. An

effective way to advertise in an industry magazine is to alert this target market that your

show is coming up and offer an incentive to book early.

When you're arranging newspaper or magazine advertisements, find out from the

advertising department how to supply the advertisement.

Radio advertising

In general, achieving effective radio coverage requires a substantial budget. However, a

station may agree to sponsor your advertising schedule in return for complimentary

tickets and/or placement of its logo on your print and advertising material.

Radio stations have comprehensive statistics on their listeners so make sure they match

your target market before advertising with them.

Most radio advertisements are 30 second spots.

4

Points to remember:

  write the copy yourself and then let the station's creatives look over it

  don't try to get across too much information 

  your public should be able to respond easily to the advertisement. A URL or an 0800

number is excellent for this, or a familiar ticketing agency listed in the phone book

  make sure you clear your music copyrights (contact Australasian Performing Rights

Association in Auckland (Tel: 0800 NZ APRA [69 2772] Website: www.apra.co.nz)

  use music and repetition

  always close the advertisement with what, where and when

  emphasise something listeners will recognise such as a star's name

  read your radio advertising copy aloud: it's written to be heard, not read

  ensure any words in te reo Maori and other languages are pronounced correctly,

particularly if you're trying to appeal to audiences from those communities.

Another way to get mentioned on the radio is with on air give aways. Be sure to supply

vouchers that people need to book with rather than supplying tickets. This way you're

assured of their attendance and it also means they can book a date that suits them to

attend. By limiting the term of the offer (e.g. the first two performances) you're ensuring

early word of mouth.

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Smart arts

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