Your Ad Might Look Great… Until It’s Next to 300 Others

My favorite part of browsing yom tov magazines is - let’s all say it together - the ads. (Duh 😆).

So I thought it would be timely to discuss how the strategies for ad design in mega yom tov issues differ from regular weekly ads. 

The point of advertising is to stand out - which requires doing something different than everyone else. If you’re following the trends or copying your competition then you’re missing the boat. 

The problem with yom tov mega editions is that although you’ll get 10x the eyeballs, there will also be 10x the competition. 

And not just within your industry. There are so many ads that they just blur together and your eyes go out of focus trying to read them all. So, while a busy ad with lots of details in a creative style might work on a regular week, in a yom tov edition it risks getting lost in the crowd.

Your main goal isn’t so much to educate, but rather to catch attention and get someone to even notice your brand. 

We’re talking high contrast, bold, and clean.

Styles that I find to be overdone, with too many ads looking the same: 

1. ❌ Full bleed photos or products or your ICA surrounded by generic (AI-generated?) people - these used to be cool and innovative but by now they’re so common that they all blur together - which is a shame because they take so much time, money, and effort to put together…

2. ❌ AI-generated people - This might be a hot take, but the last thing I want to see are AI-generated people (photorealistic or cartoon). The point of using an image of a person is to build trust and relationship, but when it’s AI-generated it fails at reaching either goal. It doesn't have the emotional tug that a real person has.

3. ❌ Generic fonts and colors that have been trending for a few years and by now are so common (and off-brand) that everyone looks the same.

4. ❌ Confusing headlines that are trying to be clever but instead make me work too hard to stick around and puzzle them out. If I can’t figure out what you sell or what you’re trying to say, then your ad failed.

Designs that work for me: 

*These were picked just from The Monsey View and Lakewood Shopper which both have free online magazine viewing options. I'm sure there are plenty of other amazing ads that were in other publications (probably the one you designed:) and didn't make it into this list simply because I didn't see them.

1. Clean and Minimal

These days I would stick to a simple and minimalist design in order to stand out among all these full-bleed, hyper-realistic ads.

(Do these ads even need words? Remove the headlines and nothing in the message changes, except that the ad became stronger and punchier. Or use a cleverer headline that isn’t removable…)

2. Clever without Confusing

It helps when your ad is clever without being too clever. It should take me 1 second to chap, but not 1 minute. Just long enough that I feel smart for being “in” on it but short enough that I don’t have to pause to figure it out. Such as the clever use of the product in creating a sukkah or the zoomed-in photos above. (These are both clever imagery rather than clever writing - but you can find more of the latter later on in this article).  

These ads below also use clean, uncluttered backgrounds in their photography. There's a time and place for fun, detailed imagery, but I think that in this situation it detracts rather than adding (unless you can make it look like content or an activity rather than an ad).

3. On-Brand instead of On-Trend

Be on-brand to yourself and not to trends - follow your brand colors, fonts, image guidelines, and voice. Each brand is different and this will automatically differentiate you and make a more memorable ad that will be connected to your brand (instead of to a generic “I saw a cool ad for a clothing store but now I can’t remember what store it was”). Be undeniablly YOU.

4. Utilizing Brand Elements

In a huge magazine like these, and especially if you don’t advertise consistently, I LOVE it when those brands use their logo or brand elements in their ad. It’s the best way to stay memorable. (See point 3 above)

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Honorable Mentions

These were some solid, good designs. Nothing groundbreaking, but simple, clear, clean, and pleasing-to-the-eye designs we can all aspire to. 

Cute headline with on-brand visuals. They’re not conforming to trends, but rather keeping things simple and clear. As a design note - having the objects pop out of the background shapes is a great way to add depth through layering. 

Simple and sophisticated without distracting cliche headlines. I also like how the image isn't full bleed, making it stand out from the crowd and feel a bit more fresh. The colors are coordinated and calming.

The only change I’d make is to tweak the emblem/stamp location to be a bit more dramatically overlapping the edge of the photo - making it clear that it's not a mistake. I would also have used the more muted moss-like color of the flowers rather than this more saturated darker green to have it feel even more sophisticated and elegant. 

Simple and clear - I love the minimalist, monochrome, uncluttered background (notice the reinforcement of their brand colors, making it memorable and a seamless transition to their other marketing materials and their website) that still adds depth with the variation in shades between the ground and the wall.

It's also great classic marketing to showcase the product in action along with details explaining how it works - especially with this target audience whose main objection is probably fear over complex new technology. By breaking it down in a clear, simple way, they're making the product feel easy and approachable.

Doesn't hurt to have a fun pun-y headline too.

This ad is just mesmerizing.

I struggled with which category to place it into because it defies all the rules while still somehow working: it's busy, the headline is vague, and there isn't much branding. And yet I can't stop staring at it.

I love the subtle brand pattern along the top margin. And the way the image isn't full bleed - it leaves border along the top and bottom - making it feel different than other ads. But aside from the design, the image is so eyecatching! Their work speaks for itself.

I guess this is just a lesson that the rules are more like guidelines. You don't always need to follow the rules to create something effective. But you need to know the rules in order to break them properly.

Great Copy Honorable Mentions

Clever without being confusing. When you’re looking to write one for your client, check out the techniques used:

• Plays on words/phrases or puns

• Alliteration

• Flip the sentence

• Rhyming

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Looking for a fresh eye to review your designs?

A design mentor might be the perfect fit for you. Get honest, constructive feedback on your designs and marketing so you can refine your concepts, make sure your they align with your client's goals (and your own standards), and confidently present your best work.