Time Inc., alone among major magazine publishers, has agreed to a deal with Philips Electronics for a novel advertising arrangement involving the table-of-contents page in four of its magazines.
While Philips is not technically sponsoring the page itself, it is assuring that the prized real estate is placed right up front--ahead of ad clutter-- and that it is preceded by a small
advertisement noting that the TOC's easy-to-find location has been made possible by Philips--for the sake of "simplicity." All this is in keeping with Philips' current "Simplicity" campaign.
According to
The Wall Street Journal, it is likewise in keeping with Philips Electronics' habit of breaking Madison Avenue rules. Magazine publishers generally have refused to guarantee
placement of their TOCs, many of which are deep into the book these days. Time Inc., reports
The Journal, was the only publisher that agreed to Philips' proposal. The magazines that will
participate in the multi-week deal are
Time, Fortune, People, and
Business 2.0. Each will also carry a number of pages for Philips as part of the contract-- but the novelty part of
the act comes up front, with the TOC. "When it comes to getting space near or before the contents page, 'everyone fights for it,' says Melissa Pordy, director of media investment solutions for
Cheil Communications America. 'It's sort of, for lack of a better word, the Hollywood Walk of Fame.'"
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