Each medium has a series of qualities and attributes that differentiate it from the others. In the case of magazines, these can be attention, connection or calm, as ARI, the Association of Magazines, is highlighting in its new communication campaign, with which it reminds agencies and advertisers of the possibilities of this type of media to connect with the audience.

The campaign has been worked on at a strategic and creative level with the Pingüino Torreblanca agency under the concept “Registered Product, exclusive magazine products”. And the association has sought to point out those special things that make the medium unique by “registering” its properties and benefits as advertising support and offering them almost as if it were a product.

In this sense, the campaign has focused on the way in which magazines are consumed and the benefits they offer to readers, and highlights how individuals relate to these publications. Faced with environments more saturated with stimuli, governed by immediacy and haste, magazines have the ability to generate calm, attention and interest through the way in which the contents are presented and viewed.

This is expressed, precisely, with a series of graphic pieces that evoke the cover of magazines. Thus, the way in which the medium is consumed becomes the axis of the campaign, and conveys the message through images of readers portrayed in those moments of tranquility and concentration while reading their favorite magazine.

From Pingüino Torreblanca they defend the clear benefits of magazines, such as their ability to segment, thanks to the number of publications with specific topics. They also value their intangible attributes. “Magazines elevate the brands that advertise in them, in some way, they spread their reliability and creativity as a medium to those brands.”said José Luis Moro, General Creative Director and Founding Partner of the agency.

The graphics will be activated in the magazines of ARI’s partner publishers, as well as in media in the marketing and advertising sector. “It was absolutely essential that the campaign not only talk about the magazines, but also happen within them“, said Carmen Amer, Director of Customer Services at Pingüino Torreblanca, regarding creativity.

The graphics have featured photographer Sofía Moro, specialized in editorial portraiture and a regular contributor to many of ARI’s magazines.
However, the campaign will also include audiovisual execution. As the agency points out, three small spots have been filmed, which will be disseminated on LinkedIn and on the social networks of ARI and its associated editors.
The audiovisual pieces have been directed by Miguel Torreblanca.

The campaign has media planning by Avante, and is sponsored by CEDRO (Spanish Center for Reprographic Rights).

Magazines and the luxury of the physical

Following the launch of the campaign, from reason.Why We have spoken with José Luis Moro, General Creative Director and Founding Partner of Pingüino Torreblanca, about the creative concept that articulates the campaign, the importance of craft and the possibilities of revaluation that magazines have as an advertising medium in a context dominated by digital.

RW. Tell us about the creative concept, how did you come up with this idea?

The idea is based on all the benefits that we understood that magazines have, such as the capacity for segmentation, that point of aspiration, exclusivity… We believe that it is something very different, beyond advertising. They consume themselves calmly, looking for a moment of tranquility. At a time when everything is consumed in a hurry and with several devices at the same time, it seemed to us that this was something very good and very salable, because it means that by advertising in a magazine, a brand will receive attention that it does not have in other media.

RW. The campaign stands out for the choices in craft. What role does it play in communicating the message?

The project gave us an opportunity to do something that is almost never done anymore, especially since the emergence of AI, which is to have a graphic campaign with good photos, taken by a good photographer. This in itself is already differential. Formally, we wanted to make something that was very visual, that had an editorial tone, that conveyed elegance and that slightly fashionable point that is also very typical of magazines. We have chosen to use black and white because we believe it provides a certain exclusivity and conveys the idea that magazines elevate the brands that are advertised in them, making them more aspirational. This has to do with the fact that many of the most exclusive brands are advertised in magazines and, in some way, that perception is contagious.

RW. Magazines have lost penetration over recent years. Is it possible to convince advertisers to bet on them?

Now that everything is going digital, true luxury is becoming precisely the opposite, the exclusive is now the physical. The physical store versus digitalization, and paper versus online. I think this is a competitive advantage that magazines have to play and where there is still room for growth. For example, they can still demonstrate their ability to do different things in branded content. There are jobs Vogue United Kingdom that are very beautiful and that perhaps can serve as inspiration for our market. There is a challenge, but also an opportunity in convincing the advertiser of the possibilities that the graphic and printed media have.

RW. How do magazines contribute to the media mix?

The campaign does not intend to position magazines as the only means to carry out a campaign. They are considered a very complementary means of communicating a message, due to that segmentation capacity that we mentioned, due to their power to reach very specific targets interested in very specific topics. Although as a complementary medium, magazines suffer in terms of creativity, because in the end audiovisual and digital media are being prioritized more. But I think they contribute a lot if they work with a good strategy and good craft. If you put love into it, beautiful campaigns come out that stand out.

RW. The campaign talks about attention, calm, concentration… Are these things that still exist in the advertising context?

The campaign is precisely due to this, because more and more advertising almost has to attack you because we watch TV and outdoor advertising with a cell phone in our hands, and we listen to the radio while driving or cooking. On social networks we pause an average of two seconds on each publication. Along with magazines, perhaps cinema is another medium capable of capturing attention, by keeping us in a dark room. Precisely because their experiences are different, they have added value.