Philips Electronics is taking its “Sense and Simplicity” campaign to a new level through a special advertising gimmick it has come up with for four Time Inc. print publications.
Playing up the theme of “simplifying media experiences,” the company said it has purchased all the advertising space between the cover and table of contents of four publications, so that readers will turn immediately to the table of contents when they open the cover page of the publication.
“By eliminating the complexity of the initial advertising space, consumers can simply identify and find the stories they want to read,” Philips said in a statement announcing the stunt.
Instead of facing four pages of ads prior to the table of contents, readers will find only one Philips foldout ad for “Sense and Simplicity” on the inside cover. The opposite side will be the table of contents.
The ad copy reads: “Simplicity means not letting complexity stand in your way.”
Images in the ad feature product prototypes that Philips is exhibiting in its Simplicity Event touring globally. The exhibit highlights the achievements of the company in implementing “sense and simplicity” throughout all markets and across its entire healthcare, lifestyle and technology portfolio.
The first ads will appeared in the May 1 issue of Time magazine and Business 2.0 and will continue in People (May 22) and Fortune (May 29)
“At Philips, simplicity means not letting complexity stand in the way. We translate this to the advertising media by simplifying the experience for the consumer,” said Andrea Ragnetti, Royal Philips Electronics domestic appliances and personal care CEO. “In television terms, this means buying all the advertising inventory and returning this time to the show, as we did with CBS’s ’60 Minutes’ program. In print terms, we found Time Inc. an eager partner on our journey to simplicity, and we believe the readers will relish the experience of finding their favorite section of the publication faster and easier.”
The company did not disclose the price for the advertising project.
Philips kicked off the unusual advertising campaign last October when it was the sole sponsor of the CBS news magazine “60 Minutes.”
Through that arrangement, Philips purchased all of the commercial time typically allotted to “60 Minutes,” but only used half the time for ads. By reducing the commercials, Philips said it helped producers extend the length of stories, “thus simplifying and enhancing the viewing experience for the audience.”
