<VV> Value in Hemmings ads? -- NO DIRECT CORVAIR CONTENT

[Steven J. Serenska]

Grant:

I can't speak about Hemmings, but I have advertised in hobby-related 
magazines in the past on behalf of a business I used to own.  Ads like 
that can be expensive but, in terms of brand-building, it's one of the 
most effective ways of reaching your target market.

You've probably already been through this, but the first question to ask 
yourself is "Am I advertising in Hemmings to sell stuff?" If the answer 
is yes, then the immediate follow-up question is: "Will a $290 ad cause 
me to sell at least $291 of stuff?"  Stated slightly differently, "Will 
a $290, 1/8th page ad in Hemmings allow me to move 5-10 collectible 
models priced at $20-50 each, month in and month out?"

Another question to ask yourself is "Am I advertising to build a 
brand?"  If yes, then $290 per month might be worth it.  Charlie Dye was 
referenced earlier this week here on VV.  Whatever he spent on all those 
Communique ads probably didn't translate into the same amount of sales 
each and every month but, over time, every single member of CORSA knew 
his name and recognized him as *THE* source for rot-free parts from the 
desert.  He was advertising to build his brand and he was very, very 
good at it.

In a business I used to own, we sold about 10,000 copies of our software 
to hobbyists at $40 each over a 5 year period.  The half-page ads we 
used to run in a hobby magazine cost about $900 per month.  I knew we 
were not selling 24-25 copies of our software each time an ad ran and it 
was painful to write that check each month.  However, at Christmas-time, 
the phone would ring off the hook because everyone knew us as THE name 
in our little corner of the hobby.  In other words, the phone didn't 
ring off the hook because of any one of our ads, but rather due to the 
cumulative effect of the brand we built.

The only other question you need to ask Hemmings is "What is your 
circulation?".  After you know that number, you can ask yourself what 
success rate you might reasonably expect in the way of selling to that 
population (i.e., your "hit rate").  A good number to start with might 
be one quarter of one percent, or even half that if you want to be more 
conservative.  From there, you'll be able to better extrapolate what the 
ad might be worth to you in terms of sales.

I think your decision might boil down to this question: Are you trying 
to expand your reach beyond Corvair owners?  If yes, then advertise in 
Hemmings and continue to build your brand.  If you're trying to reach 
Corvair owners only, then save your money because there's no better 
place to advertise than where you already do (i.e., in the Communique).  
All of us know you as the Carbmeister, so you've been successful in that 
regard.

The thoughts above are worth precisely $0.02 ... which is not even close 
to $290.00 ...

Steven J. Serenska
Bristol, RI

'65 Monza Convertible, 110/4
'66 Corsa Coupe, 140/4