Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!floyd!harpo!seismo!hao!hplabs!sri-unix!WMartin@SIMTEL20.ARPA From: WMartin@SIMTEL20.ARPA Newsgroups: net.micro Subject: Re: Byte reader service cards Message-ID: <16666@sri-arpa.UUCP> Date: Wed, 8-Feb-84 14:07:51 EST Article-I.D.: sri-arpa.16666 Posted: Wed Feb 8 14:07:51 1984 Date-Received: Sat, 18-Feb-84 04:17:05 EST Lines: 58 From: William G. MartinAha! One of my "pet peeve" buttons has been pushed! ALL advertisers in a magazine with a Reader-Service card provded should be COMPELLED to use the Reader-Service numbers. This must be a condition of the acceptance of the advertising by the magazine. Far too many advertisers have been allowed to drop the use of R-S numbers, which dilutes the value of the Reader-Service program as a whole. (I speak here mainly from experience in the audio/high-fidelity magazine area.) One of the prime purposes of the very existence of most technical magazines is to serve as a conduit of information between manufacturers/dealers who are the advertisers and the consumers who are the readers. Most of the non-ad contents in such magazines are discussions about advertised products (reviews, product surveys, etc.) or interpretations of technical literature for the consumer (articles like "What do amplifier specs mean?", etc.). The whole Reader-Service process is a vital part of this, getting a direct conduit between vendors and reader/consumers. The basic purpose of this is to transfer the costs from the readers to the vendors. Without Reader-Service, the only way for the consumer/reader to contact the advertiser is to pay postage or telephone charges, invest time in composing cards or letters or making calls, and generally expend much effort. Having Reader-Service consolidates the communication path into a single card sent by the reader to the contractor who handles Reader-Service [I believe the entire population of Clinton, Iowa is in this business] and puts the cost where it belongs, in the vendors' advertising budget. The vendor can deduct the costs involved, but the consumer cannot; therefore, Business Reply Mail R-S cards should also be mandatory. (I note that Byte's cards are not; this is a major failing on their part.) The statement that "many people would send in the card every month, circling any numbers for any ads that looked even halfway interesting" is correct, but that is what SHOULD happen! The whole idea of the process is to snag the attention of POSSIBLE prospects, and then send them more information than the ad itself could possibly contain, in the hope of enticing them to buy. It is perfectly normal that the percentage response is low -- it will always be so, unless the vendor is selling something in high demand at an unusually low price. (Even then, many readers will suspect that it couldn't be legitimate, and will not respond due to wariness.) If a new, small firm cannot afford the costs of handling large Reader-Service responses, they should not be advertising at all, or they should be placing classified ads. That is the main difference between regular display ads and the classifieds (or those little display ads in the classified sections); the former all should have Reader-Service, and the latter are cheaper and do not have R-S. Some vendors may not like this; they are merely unrealistic. To sell your stuff, you have to expect to pay for getting your firm and products known -- distributing large amounts of literature, whether by mail or at trade shows, without seeing direct or immediate responses, is one of the expenses. That's just the way it is. Flame dying down... Will Martin -------