Non-Classified or Display Advertisements

Non Classified Ads: First of all, in these days of social media penetrating everywhere, we all have come across plenty of advertisement. Whether they are direct or indirect, ads have a rather significant impact on our buying patterns. But ever wonder how you always get personalized ads? Meaning- If you’ve been checking out some classic blue jeans, your online pages will be filled with blue jeans ads everywhere.

Well, that’s the power of online marketing these days. Although online marketing has pretty much taken over all forms of marketing these days, there’s one old-school method of marketing that is never going to die among the population, and that is – Print. Let us study more about non classified ads.

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So, What is Advertisement?

In simple words, Advertisement is a form of communication to sell or promote a product, service or maybe even an idea. This communication can be in the form of print, audio or video. Examples of audio ads include the ads of a product we hear on radio or podcast. Examples of video ads include the commercial breaks we see on T.V, cinema screens.

Also, examples of print ads include ads we see in newspapers, billboards, magazines, pamphlets, and so on. Usually, advertisements are non-personal messages sponsored by businesses for promotions or sales.

Breaking Down the Print Game

For the sake of specificity of this chapter, let’s only look at one of the most important and highly impactful channels of Print marketing which is Newspapers. Whether it is an ad for a job, or that new JEE coaching class that has opened up in your city, or an apartment up for rent, or an obituary for a person passed away, newspapers make money off of these ads.

That’s why there’s a need to write better content and raise more readership so as to ensure the reach of an ad. Meaning, the higher the readership of a newspaper, the higher the price point of publishing an ad in that newspaper. Now, digging down into the kinds of ads we see in these newspapers:

There are broadly two kinds of ads we come across in the newspapers-

1. Classified Ads
2. Non Classified Ads or Display Ads

Classified Ads

This is the most common type that we come across in the newspapers. These ads are placed under the headings of specific types of ads. There are classified text ads and then there are classified display ads.

Classified text ads

As the name suggests, are ads based on only words, no logos or designs or pictures, whatsoever.

• They might have certain elements like a highlight, a tick at the beginning, a border, some font variations and such.
• They are priced according to the number of words, characters or whatever the measure is being used by the said newspaper.
• The placement of this ad is very clear. For example, the ad about an eligible bachelor will only be placed under he “Matrimonial” category.
• Ideal for property ads, jobs openings, etc.
  The picture below is how a general classified text ad looks like:

A display classified ad–

These go one step further than the classified text ads and can have elements like company logos, pictures, a customized header or footer, a different font and so on.

• But obviously, these ads cost more than classified text ads and draw more attention of the user mostly because they are made in an eye-catching manner.
• They stand out the most among Classified Ads.
• A display classified ad can occupy 3-6 cm width in a newspaper and not more than that. They can be in a single column or could expand to double column. The pricing is according to the space it occupies.
• These are most ideal for obituaries, retails ads, etc.

Non Classified Ads or Display Ads:

Easily confused with classified display ads, these ads too are more advanced than text ads, however, unlike classified display ads, non-classified ads do not have any size limitation for the advertiser. So the full page ads you see of the new i-phone on the front page, yes, that’s a Non-classified ad or a display ad. They are not just advanced, they can actually be over-the-top sometimes.

• Non-classified ads could vary in sizes as much as one column to half a page or a full page.
• There’s no specific section where it has to be published. The advertiser can practically choose the page it goes on- front, middle, back, before editorial or Bollywood, whatever suits the target audience as well as the budget of the advertiser.
• By the thumb rule, a minimum size of a non-classified ad or display ad in a newspaper should at least be 4cm x 4cm.
• There’s no set format. One can get a custom-made design for their own ad. It’s a blank slate with no limitation.
• These are ideal for usually major businesses like an educational institute or a big retail brand or branding of a popular product.
• For example, Tanishq does a big display ad on the front page during the wedding season. Or a famous JEE prep coaching class does a front page right when the new batch is about, to begin with, pictures of its toppers of the last exam.

As an advertiser, how one decides where to put one’s ad is really up to the purpose and budget they have. Also, sometimes a new business might experiment slow and grow from there. It really depends on many factors like demography, language, age group targeted, readership, budget, etc.

Online Market for Ads

Translating this to the online world we live in today, we see the exact thing practically everywhere on the internet. Although the mechanism remains pretty much the same, the platform just changes from print to online with added benefits. It’s usually cheaper to advertise online than in print. Also, if it’s the younger audience we are targeting, it’s always more impactful to market online than on print media.

With that, why don’t you pick up any newspaper and try to circle a few classified and non classified ads/ display ads and identify the motive and type of the advertisement? Better still, after doing that, maybe your pen can wield a couple of them itself. Try today and let us know if you have come across an ad that really struck it’s chord with you and why.

Solved Question for You

Question: Which of the following would best be advertised through display advertisements?

1. A package by tours and travels company for the skiing trip.
2. A dance concert is to be held in your college.
3. Rahul is searching for a bride.
4. A new investment scheme has been launched.

Answer: Correct option is D. A new investment scheme has been launched.

Check out more about English writing on our Toppr guides.