Promotional campaign

If one happened to get hold of some local dailies yesterday, chances are he or she has come across an advertisement of the Cebu provincial government. Announcing some of its accomplishments, it was obvious the advertisement was placed by the Capitol itself.

The four-page ad came in the form of what print industry practitioners call as “false cover.” As a practice in the newspapering business, a “false cover” advertisement is more expensive than the ordinary ad buried inside the pages of the paper.

That is because a “false cover” advertisement occupies the front page of a newspaper, a placement aimed at grabbing the attention of its readers with something that is being promoted by a company or organization while disguising as the paper’s headline.

For placing a “false cover” advertisement in newspapers, the provincial government has certainly cashed in on the importance of newspapers as far as its information dissemination drive is concerned.

Not only newspapers, radio and television are also an equally important tool that Capitol officials are utilizing nowadays to keep Cebuanos well informed of its various development projects across the province.

Yesterday’s newspaper advertisement came amid reports that the Capitol is hiring an ad agency that would handle all of its promotional campaigns on projects and programs and on other affairs of the provincial government.

But while the hiring of an ad agency will certainly lessen the burden of the Capitol in the information campaign drive, many see the need to transact with an agent as only complicating the urgency of the effort for the masses to be immediately informed of what the provincial government has been doing. This aside from the added expenses the Capitol has to shell out as payment for the services of the ad agency.

The provincial government may find the services of an ad agency more convenient. However, on the other hand, directly transacting with media outlets can also save the Capitol some expenses and time.