Advert Planning

After completing my audience research and concluding that the most likely audience of my local newspaper would largely be elderly people, I decided to include adverts for businesses that an older audience would be interested in. I made a mind map of possible adverts that would appear in local newspapers and chose the ones I thought would best suit an older audience. However, I also found though my research that it is important to include adverts for things that can appeal to a wide audience, not only a specified one. I took this into careful consideration.

Below is the mind map of all possible local newspaper adverts:

The adverts I decided on including in my own local newspaper, across the front page and inside page, are the following:

1. Portishead Flower Show - In my audience research, one of the most requested things was to include events and community shows that people reading the newspaper can learn about and attend themselves. This is something well recognized in the area, as the town is often known as 'Portishead in Bloom.' I feel that this is something that elderly people in articular may be interested in attending.
2. Car Insurance - I chose to include a car insurance advert as this is something that will appeal to all ages and types of people. Conventionally, car insurance businesses are now researched and found online which may not be something familiar to older people, that they can communicate through easily. I also chose to make this a local, family run business as conventionally local newspapers tend to support local businesses rather than a corporate one.
3. Sofa Sale - I decided on promoting a local businesses sofa sale in my newspaper in order to make sure there were more ongoing events included that people could attend. The massive sale at a local furniture business will again appeal to all audiences and will also be suitable for elderly people.
4. Dentist - Finally, I chose to include a health related advert. A dentist is something that will always be used by all age groups and so appeals to all types of people who may read the newspaper. I also incorporated a deal that comes with signing up at the dentist. This is something that usually attracts customers. I made sure to use a dentist that was local to the area and easily accessible from Portishead; the town where the newspaper will be distributed in.

Layout updates:

When I changed the final layout of my newspaper front cover, I chose to include more adverts. To decide what adverts i was going to include, I kept in mind my audience. I chose children's tutoring as this appeals to an older audience and people who have children, along with a local DIY company. This is stereotypically something that elderly people (my primary audience) have trouble with themselves and will possibly be interested in hiring someone to do for them.

Advert Designs

• I decided to design the adverts in simple and clear ways so they will be easily understood by the reader. I made sure each advert had an element of colour so as to stand out on the page against the main content. This way it will be eye catching and appeal to the audience to make them investigate further.
• In all the adverts I also included an image that corresponds with the adverts content.
• The main text of the advert l kept simple and catchy, with short sentences and/or bullet points. This is a technique often used in short adverts to keep the advert brief, to fit within the limited space on the page and to make sure important information is given out clearly with no confusion.

Below I have included my final planning stages and advert outcomes: