Anybody here in the advertising biz?

[Maine-ah]

I have to build a newspaper advertisement for the store I work in. Nothing big, something about the size of a biz card. I'll take any suggestions I can get.

We sell wine, 300 bottle, hand-picked wine selection from all over the world. Also inexpensive and special orders (large and small)case discounts ect....

I've already started building my ad, looks ok, but I really want it to stand out, which is hard to do, considering the size it has to be, and black and white.

I'll take all the help I can get...

[democracyindanger]

1. Don't underestimate the power of white space

Especially when you're working in such a small format. And resist the urge to cram it full of copy. Don't shrink the size of type in order to jam more words in.

And under no circumstances use a pun.

[Maine-ah]

2. Thank you

I was trying to come up with a "pun" but couldn't. So, I guess that doesn't matter. Thankyou. :hi:

[HEyHEY]

3. I was

But I'm also experienced in newspapers. Hmm, it is it a colour ad?

[Maine-ah]

4. nope, boss is too cheap.

[HEyHEY]

5. Well, I'd pick one thing to concentrate on

Mayeb a wine that's coming into season, or on sale or something... mention your huge selection but feature the one thing. Pick something that already sells well.
White space is good, but you still want some art to bring an element of class to your business, especially considering it's wine you're selling. If the ad looks too sad, they could relate it to shitty or homemade wine.

[Maine-ah]

6. didn't even think of it that way. (relating it to a shitty wine)

on the art, I was thinking since I don't have much space, was to concentrate on the lettering, and I have been experimenting with that, but I'll try and squeeze something in to the back ground. Maybe something like a watermark?

[HEyHEY]

7. I was thinking the same thing

Watermark or even a nice kinda wallpapering in the background instead of just a colour

[Maine-ah]

8. oK,

So, I've got most of it together at this point, now it's just some wording. which goes as follows:

Hand-picked 300 Bottle wine selection from all over the world.
Low prices & case discounts. Special orders are our forte.

Which I think is nice and simple, to the point. But it doesn't really stand out that much (to me anyway) I need to come up with some kind of closing. Any suggestions?

[HEyHEY]

10. Gotta slogan?

[Maine-ah]

11. Nah

it's funny too because we've been in biz for 25 years.

[HEyHEY]

13. I think the ending is okay

Maybe at the top of the ad ad in something about "Choosing a wine isn't like choosing a head of lettuce" - only not so stupid sounding

[Sugar Smack]

15. "Don't go to the ends of the Earth for great wine"

I used this idea in one of my ads (not about wine/I work for a sports company) under duress.

[SpeedwayDemocrat]

16. Watch out on using watermarks or screens...

in newsprint, they tend to either wash-out to where you can't see them or over-power the type in front of them so you can't read the copy. It all depends on how good the press is (newsprint versus magazine, etc.)
Be sure to ask your ad rep for how many dots per inch (DPI) or line screen you should output for best results (or what software they prefer to receive digital files in).
Just a couple of words of caution, as I've produced thousands of these things since 1981...

[Maine-ah]

18. thankyou for the advice, I'll make sure to ask.

I've been looking at the other ads in the same paper, and none of them have a watermark (that I've found so far).

[Sugar Smack]

9. I have a huge portfolio of wine labels I'd designed

for a contest. One of them got an honorable mention. I would respond to an ad that looks like a wine label. I love the grape and wrought-iron motif.

[Maine-ah]

12. That's a great idea, and that is just about the way that I built the

ad.

[Sugar Smack]

14. Thanks! I've noticed that a slightly curved title

at the top of a rectangular ad gets attention.

[Maine-ah]

17. I'll try it!