The “magalog” and the “advertorial,” whether you’ve heard of them or not, are two offline marketing formats from the last century (i.e., that would be the late 20th) which I believe set the stage for so much of what we do online today.
And rather than make this a history lesson…which is always instructive (and I will give some history) …I will share with you why these two formats are so important…and how to continue applying the genius of both into the future.
The magalog
Occasionally, something comes along that disrupts everything.
In today’s marketing landscape, it happens every 15 minutes…or so it seems.
Regardless of the speed of change, change is inevitable…and when the “magalog” came to be in direct mail in the 1980’s, it was a phenomenon.
There’s even a Wikipedia entry for it (so we know it’s legit) 🙂
A magalog is a promotional copy of a magazine, usually in a 12-page catalog format. The name is a portmanteau of “magazine” and “catalog” and was coined and used by Gary Bencivenga, a direct response copywriter.
Magalogs help introduce magazines to new readers, or function as a catalog formatted as a magazine. An alternative use can include catalogs that are presented with content, not just advertising.
Magalogs are used in other verticals and have been used successfully to sell dietary supplements, books, information products, and sports equipment. Magalogs vary in size from 8 pages to 64 pages. Results from magalogs are closely measured to determine the ROI of the mailing.
And since I was not 100% satisfied about the “original source” of the magalog (despite being thrilled that Gary Bencivenga gets credit for naming it and perfecting it), the term seems to go back to 1970…” the year that Mongomery Ward first developed its ‘magalog’ concept…where the catalog meets magazine” (according to The Google).
But I’m also cool with making Gary B. the original source.
What made the magalog so game changing…and why is it a precursor of online launches and many other online techniques that rule the marketing landscape today?
- It’s long copy with a purpose…once the A-List copywriters got their hands on the format (folks like Gary Bencivenga, Jim Rutz and the lesser known, but equally influential, Dick Sanders et al.) they were able to prove (again) that it’s not about long copy vs. short copy but rather engaging copy vs. boring copy. Those of you who are aware of “The End of America” video sales letter know what I am referring to as an example of this principle at work in the 21st century.
- Magalogs tell a story…usually in color…which was a departure from long, meaningful copy inside an envelope with a 12-page letter. With anywhere from 20 to 32 pages to work with, the narrative and flow became part of the promotion…and the format created some of the most successful mailings of all time…along with the development of dozens of meaningful and talented designers…including Rob Davis, Alice Taus et al.).
- While it was still the words that propelled the promotion, those design techniques changed with each new magalog…with creative use of sidebars, two-page spreads and all kinds of variations making each magalog its own “Broadway production” …while selling throughout. Hmmm…you could substitute “webinar” or “video sales letter” for magalog with the same Broadway-like effect, no?
- The magalog is much more than a “sizzle” (i.e. teaser) promotion; it had “steak” (useful content that could be applied immediately whether the reader/prospect bought the product or service). Doesn’t that sound familiar with what you do online regularly? More on that below.
- The magalog spawned other long form formats…the bookalog (64-page digest size promotions that you didn’t even recognize as “advertising”) …much more on that below )…the tabloid (oversized magalogs which dominated mailbox real estate) …and the “faux issue” magalog, which mirrored the publication you were selling in promotion form. I’m proud to say I captained mailings of all these formats with success using each one.
So how did the magalog “invent” online marketing?
According to A-Lister Don Hauptman, in an article he penned for a trade magazine in 1990, he said:
“Enhancing the illusion are a price and date [on each magalog], magazine-style cover teasers and headlines, four-color photos and super sharp layout and graphic design.”
And “illusion” doesn’t mean it wasn’t real. 🙂
He goes on:
“…my view is that these pseudo-magazines have the power to shake advertising-jaded prospects out of their lethargy.”
And finally…
“Both ethically and practically, one ‘secret’ to making this approach work is to provide genuinely useful information: news, facts or advice which will help the prospect whether he or she responds” [which I mentioned above]
One caveat in creating these elaborate promotions:
Don’t leave this revolutionary format (or any format in any era) to amateurs.
It’s no coincidence that the success of the format became synonymous with the copywriting masters who perfected it.
Only a select few mastered it…and they were in the highest demand.
And masters are masters in each subsequent generation.
This is 100% aligned with how we do online marketing today:
- Creating email, launch videos, webinars that capture the reader’s or listener’s imagination…long or short…with intrigue, narratives and stories.
- Making sure it feels like an “event” or one time only promotion (e.g. the price and date listed on the “promotion”). And making sure “it doesn’t look like advertising” while keeping it “real.”
- Writing in pictures was made famous by Gene Schwartz in The Brilliance Breakthrough…and it is a universal component in every magalog promotion…and with all its kissing cousins, magalogs were words with pictures that told a story…as are the best online promotions.
- But here’s the key: Giving away “steak” in direct mail was a new concept…before the magalog, direct mailers shied away from giving away too much in their sales letters for fear of “giving away their best stuff” while paying for postage and printing and not making a sale; with the advent of the magalog, giving away some steak became the rule…and in today’s online marketing environment, the best marketers give away much more of their best steak up front (even for free) because they have the confidence that there is more/better steak…dare I say filet mignon behind that…and they will never have to pay postage and printing to deliver those delicious meals.
For you vegetarians and vegans who are disgusted by all these meat references, fill in “your best content” every time I mention steak. 🙂 - The magalog is analogous to a webinar or online launch…the list is targeted and curated, the offer is solid…and giving away your best content up front, with long but engaging messaging (i.e., not boring) …focused on the transformation of your reader/viewer…especially if you are an unknown entity or brand…is the only way to sell in most cases.
- Just like we needed only the world’s best copywriters and designers to create magalogs, bookalogs and other variations, today we need specialists in launches, email marketing, webinars, social media advertising. That is, no one vendor can cover everything and no jacks of all trades need apply. State-of-the-art marketing demands state-of-the-art practitioners.
The advertorial
For many of the same reasons magalogs paved the way for online marketing techniques of all kinds, so did “advertorials.”
In fact, the online folks have co-opted the term and now call it “native advertising.”
Although Wikipeida says:
“The concept of internet-based advertorials is linked to native advertising; however, whether the two terms are synonymous is contested”
Well…it’s not contested by me. 🙂
The origin of this format is worth studying if only for a lesson in ethics (more on that in a minute). But there’s more to it than just that as well.
Here’s how Wiki defines it:
An advertorial is an advertisement in the form of editorial content. The term “advertorial” is a blend of the words “advertisement” and “editorial.” Merriam-Webster dates the origin of the word to 1946.
[How’s that for the original source? That’s mid-20th century]
Wiki goes on:
In printed publications, the advertisement is usually written to resemble an objective article and designed to ostensibly look like a legitimate and independent news story.
Advertorials, especially those that are not clearly disclosed *** are the subject of controversy in journalism ethics and marketing ethics. Researchers have found that they often mislead readers who are unaware of their origin, co-opting and damaging a publication’s reputation. As many as two thirds of readers confuse advertorials for reporting, according to a 2016 study.
[***NOTE: Advertorials being “clearly disclosed” as advertising are part of the rules of the advertorial game]
The difference between fooling a reader (and possibly creating a bait and switch) vs. engaging a reader with useful content (like magalogs, which is a “long form advertorial”) is the difference between sloppy/possibly unethical marketing and elegant/ethical marketing.
And maybe the difference between doing something that is illegal or legal.
I understand that one can be unethical and not break the law.
But why reside in either of those camps?
However, whenever you use an advertorial style ad, there is no disguising that you are “disguising” an ad as editorial material.
Doing it right makes all the difference.
Speaking of the “controversy in journalism and marketing ethics” …
There was an “advertorial format” that got a lot of bad press in the 1980’s…we called them “tear sheet ads”…where you would send an “article” seemingly ripped out of a newspaper…put it in an envelope with hand addressing…with a post-it note on top it saying something like, “Read this” or “Check this out” signed with an initial.
That was deemed to have crossed some line…folks were penalized who used it extensively and without certain additional markings (e.g. “this is an advertisement” in some specified font size) …but you can also see how variations of this can work by thinking of ways to “decriminalize” it. 🙂
That is, as many of you know, these types of ads can work like a charm (if you follow guidelines and compliance).
Companies who do it right…then and now…are to be applauded.
And emulated.
I can’t help but think fondly about Joe Sugarman, who created advertorials in newspapers for the products he wanted to eventually feature in his catalogs.
If they worked as stand-alone ads in regional newspapers, he was assured they would work even better, supported by a catalog of branded products around it.
Simple but brilliant.
Based on past results and testing
But isn’t that true with anything new in marketing?
Even disrupting needs planning. 🙂
Warmly,
Brian
P.S. I remember going to visit my direct mail guru in 1993 (on behalf of my beloved company Boardroom), Dick Benson, armed with our lackluster results with magalogs, and asking:
What are we doing wrong?
Should we give up on this format?
Benson read me the riot act big time, cementing the concept of being a student of marketing and media to create the best copy…and repeating the themes of the post above:
The magalog format is perfect for your products…it is long form, enabling you to tell a story and a sales message about an unknown brand properly and completely.
[Note: Boardroom’s books and newsletters were not household names]
It’s exactly what you need, Brian. You can’t give up.
Magalogs will eventually beat the pants off any envelope package, even one with a 12-to-16-page sales letter, with multiple components, if executed with precision.
You know my Rule of Thumb that states “self-mailers almost never work?”
That doesn’t apply to you.
And since you have so much valuable content in your books and newsletters, the magalog allows you to “give away some steak and not be all sizzle.
Also, since you pride yourself as being the best list guy in the world, [said to me by Benson with a note of sarcasm] it’s clear your problem is NOT with this dynamic new format…you have a problem with your choice of a copywriter.
Now that was a lecture worth acting on.
And the right copywriter to solve the magalog puzzle for us was Clayton Makepeace, an A-Lister of epic proportions.
First mailed in mid-1994, his magalog for The Big Black Book (an encyclopedic, consumer tome we affectionately called BBB) mailed over 16 million pieces over its mailing life…and gave us the confidence to launch dozens more magalogs with similar success, over many more years.
Here is the cover of that masterpiece:
As my gift to you, click on the “play button” on Marty Edelston’s face above and get a PDF of the entire promotion, 28 pages of glorious (and winning) copy.