Here’s another one for your idea file. In the span of about a week, I found two examples of an advertising format used by area financial organizations.

It’s nothing revolutionary, but since I don’t recall seeing this format used for this purpose recently, I’ll tell you about it. Never hurts to spread ideas that might come in handy for someone.

The format is simple…an 8.5 x 11 inch sheet of lightweight glossy paperstock printed in four colors on one side and three on the reverse (4C/3C).

The first example appeared as a freestanding newspaper insert shortly before Christmas. It advertised The College Savings Plan of Nebraska, a 529 savings plan that’s managed by a local bank.

Then, two days into the New Year, there was another newspaper insert for a savings plan. This plan uses automatic transfers from checking to help customers build their passbook savings without having to think about it.

The offer included a $50 Visa gift card incentive with an additional $50 Visa gift card after a year if the customer matched a minimum goal.

A different bank than the one involved with the 529 plan offers this second savings account. Rather than being a copycat situation, it’s more likely the newspaper is pushing this format. I’ve seen other types of products and services advertised in the same way. It’s like another eye-catching format the local newspaper offers its advertisers.

While it’s not targeted advertising, the obvious advantage to this insert format over a regular newspaper ad is color. Your promotion not only gets to shine in four colors, but the glossy paperstock helps attract even more attention. It may also help that the freestanding ad isn’t buried inside the pages of the paper.

Also important: Both inserts made offers, which increases interest and helps the banks track ROI.

So, do two examples by two different financial advertisers make a trend? Well, it doesn’t matter if you find the format useful to you. In fact, if no one else in your market is using this insert format, then you have an even better chance of being noticed.

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Read about the 529 savings plan promotion I mentioned above…”A Win for Savers.”

Have you started an idea file? Read “Most Ideas Are Already Out There.”