1. On Thursday mornings - when the week's new ads appear - the daily visitor web-stats are typically double, indicating that regular visitors (from many countries around the world) enjoy catching a glimpse of the new dogs on display. Whether advertising works or not, one will never be able to prove irrevocably, but it is remarkable how many top-winning dogs appear on SHOWDOGS! How you capitalise on this exposure is your own decision, but you probably will need to plan ahead since SHOWDOGS ads are traditionally booked out quite far in advance.
2. Plan your ad campaign carefully and don't over-advertise. Readers don't enjoy seeing the same dog or, in some cases, the same kennel, too frequently. If you want to run a campaign for a particular dog or kennel, bear in mind the careful balance between positive and negative exposure. Try to space your campaign judiciously for maximum effect and avoid overkill.
3. Having booked your ads during 2009, we will not look kindly on you if, when the time comes, you suddenly decide you don't know what to advertise! Circumstances change and it's entirely possible that your dog is out of coat, or pregnant, or not being shown any longer. That's not a problem - simply cancel or postpone your ad as early as possible. However, last-minute cancellations due to your not being prepared will incur a 50% cancellation fee.
4. It's really not a good idea to flight ads on more than one website simultaneously. It creates a situation where ads are compared with each other, which may have the opposite effect to what you are hoping to achieve. Far better to stagger such appearances for maximum effect on each website.
5. The success of an ad depends on the quality of the photographs. Take time and trouble to gather really good, sharp, well-lit, clear photos of your dog that display him/her to his best. The size of the file that you send should be reasonably large - generally around 250KB - 2MB. Larger than this is a waste of bandwidth and smaller than 100KB may compromise the quality of the design.
6. The ad fee includes the cost of the design - you need only send the material as requested in the guidelines. SHOWDOGS has developed a very distinctive design style, which a few folks have tried to imitate. Remember, it is only a genuine SHOWDOGS design if it was generated from my computer and contains the SHOWDOGS Images signature.
7. Two weeks and one week before your ad is due to appear, you will receive reminders of your pending booking. This is the time to gather all your material according to the attached guideline. Please don't leave it till the last minute and give me more grey hairs than I already have! I need all material, ad text and contact details (plus pedigree for Topline ads) preferably by the Monday before the booking - at the very latest and by arrangement only - by Tuesday. Wednesday is design day and it's best you don't bug me on this day, unless you like playing with grizzly bears!
8. Web designs do not necessarily print well and they are definitely not suitable for glossy magazines. These are not my rules, but the rules of current technology. If you would like to use a web design in a print ad, please contact me to arrange for a conversion.
WEB DESIGNS |
PRINT DESIGNS |
colour registration: RGB |
colour registration: CMYK |
resolution: 72 dpi |
resolution 300dpi |
size in pixels |
size in mm |
9. Payment for the ad should be made on or before the date of the ad's appearance unless by prior arrangement. Don't make me chase you - it may turn ugly and I don't enjoy it.
10. I don't provide proofs. Been there, tried it, burnt the computer.... Because of the very rapid turn-around and the generous submission deadline, there's simply no time to wait for responses and, in any case, advertisers are seldom awake while I continue working late into the night! I do, however, guarantee that I will do the very best I can with the material given and I have been known to make last-minute adjustments if necessary.
...and finally
Please remember I'm human - like you. If you like my work, occasional feedback is most encouraging and rewarding. If you'd prefer to lynch me, please do it politely and gently....
