Print ad examples

These full page and fractional page print ad examples are produced using the Days Hospitality branding standards. You can download the PDF examples as a guide for planning and producing new ads. Following these examples are tips for planning budgets and new creative.

Example Ramada Print Ad Formats

Full Page Ad The full page ad format gives you great visual impact. Right-hand pages are dominant. If you’re booking full pages, ask for a right-hand page as your preferred position. But if budget is an issue consider increasing the frequency of ad issues and switching to the half-island format. View sample full page ad

Half Island Ad The half island format has nearly the same visual impact as a full page. Typically this format is surrounded by editorial, so you have no other ads competing for the reader’s attention on the same page. Costs are typically about 60% of the full page ad rate. View sample half island ad

Quarter Page Ad The quarter page is a decent fractional page ad size. Because it doesn’t fit with the typical 3-column page grid, it is usually inserted on a page with other similar fractional page ads. So keep in mind that your ad will be appearing along side others competing for attention. View sample quarter page ad

Third Square Ad The third square ad is more likely to appear with editorial content than the quarter page ad format. The cost is usually slightly higher than the quarter page, but may be worth the difference because you’re not competing with as many other ads on the same page. View sample third square ad

Ad budgets

To mount a successful print advertising campaign it’s important to maintain frequency. This means you should select the publications you believe will best reach your target audience and review the costs for their various ad formats. Calculate a budget required for the publications you want to advertise in and consider a year-long ad cycle. This may not mean you book ads in each issue. For instance, if your objective is to increase room-nights in shoulder periods think about the lead time needed to get reservations in the shoulder periods and budget ads for those issues.

Publishers have more latitude than you may realize on their rate cards, so don’t hesitate to ask for frequency discounts.

Frequency is very important

If you need to choose between booking 3 full page ads a year or 5 half islands in the same period, opt for the half-islands.

Research has shown that a prospect predisposed to your offer is only aware of your ad 1 out of 3 times they are exposed to it. They need to be aware of your message 9 times before they are inclined to act on it. This means you need to put your message in front of them 27 times before they are likely to take action.

Frequency matters.

So is a clear call to action

There are 3 important aspects to an effective call to action.

1. Clearly state your offer
2. Limit the offer to a fixed time frame
3. Provide an easy way to respond

So something along the lines of “Call 123.456.7899 before July 1 to receive 30% off our best daily room rate”.
– Offer; time limit; how to take action.

Less is more

Think of your message like a ping-pong ball. If I throw you one ball you’re likely to catch it. If I throw you 5 balls at once, you’re likely to miss them all. Your ad should focus on a single clear message — one offer; one call to action; one clear, easy way to respond. Avoid the temptation to cram a few more details in the ad. They become distractions from the key message you’re trying to convey.

Keep this in mind when planning the ad content for different size ad formats. Don’t try to fit a full page ad’s content into a 1/3 square. Pare it down to suit the ad size.

Criteria for a good ad

To help guide your creative you may want to peruse this excellent list of criteria for a good ad. This was compiled by Business Marketing Magazine and describes best practices for a B2B ad. You will often find yourselves planning B2C advertising, but the principles are essentially the same.

Ad Requests & Production

For ad production assistance please download, complete, and submit the Creative Brief (fillable PDF) request form below.

Ramada Plaza Calgary Downtown Creative Brief

Ramada Plaza Prince George Creative Brief

Ramada Limited Downtown Vancouver Creative Brief

Holiday Inn West Kelowna Creative Brief