Quote Originally Posted by boyfunk
It is attempting to speak to two ENTIRELY different and COMPLETELY incompatible audiences... webmasters and surfers. It seems that a lot of the ads in it are aimed at webmasters, and inexplicably, from what I've heard, many people seem to report getting results when placing ads . (Perhaps webmasters frequent the bars where the magazine is distributed.)
Perhaps the reach to webmasters comes not from frequenting the bars where they are distributed, but from the free copies that are sent to each advertiser, which are webmasters...so you put in ads that appeal to webmasters who are going to look through the free copy they receive to validate their ad, and presto...your ad gets seen by webmaster eyes.

Quote Originally Posted by boyfunk
But I've heard a lot of people say that it doesn't seem to produce when ads are aimed at surfers. This is totally counterintuitive, I agree with Lee, but one of the things I've learned over the years I've spent in (non-adult) marketing is sometimes the most wacky media buys that you'd never think would work are the most effective.
Exactly my point from earlier. It is extremely hard to convert from print to clicks, and click conversions are what drives membership sales.

However, print is a very valuable long term branding tool and if you have a product or name you want branded, and you have a rather large budget to pursue name recognition of that product or brand, then print is your way to go. If you are running ads trying to get clicks and memberships, forget it...it's an overly expensive and probably non productive medium.

If you want realistic ad buys, campaigns that work, are easily trackable, and instantly productive, then stay with online click campaigns and save the print mediums for branding when you are rolling in the dough from your online click campaigns.