7 Wanted: a renaissance in print advertising ‘God is in the details’ gency people find making television commercials far more exciting A than making advertisements for newspapers and magazines. If their own talents are modest, the film producers can make them look good. In winter, they enjoy going on location at glamorous resorts, while their print colleagues are left behind in cold solitude. The other day I read a cri de cœur from a senior executive in a food company: ‘TV is so devouring a medium that you need to comb the agencies to find the old sweat who knows how to put together half-way decent print advertisements for food. The others invent food advertising all over again, without knowing which way is up. The silly thing is that there are just about infallible formulae for constructing advertisements which grab a woman’s attention and don’t let go of it until the message has been fully planted. Once these formulae are understood, even junior brand managers can assemble the makings of a hard-working food advertisement, while the bright ones will have women tearing out your ads and shoving them into kitchen drawers in a way you wouldn’t believe. Try telling this to agencies. They’ve never heard of the fundamentals of food advertising. Mention formulae to them and their frail creative souls shrivel.’ The shortage of print know-how presents a serious problem to cigarette manufacturers and others who are not allowed to use television. It also presents a golden opportunity for copywriters and art directors who take the trouble to acquire the know-how.