Annals of "flapvertising": Sharp magazine sells ad window in its logo

According to a story in Masthead, Sharp magazine has made a deal with the ad agency of automaker BMW to die-cut two separate flaps in its front cover, including one that alters the name of the magazine to become part of an inside front cover ad.

Noah Vardon, strategy manager at Media Experts who worked with Contempo Media [publishers of Sharp] on the execution, explained BMW, the creative agency (Cundari) and Sharp "were on board from the beginning and the final result is an execution that plays in a space (the title) that has never been advertised in before [emphasis added]– not something you can do every day. It’s something that really engages and connects with the reader, which is a big win for the print medium.”

We understand why an advertiser would think this was a great coup, but we find it hard to believe that a publisher or editor would think so. However, John McGouran, Sharp's publisher is quoted as saying

“...this means not only creating compelling print content, but also working with our advertising partners to enrich the way our readers interact with their message. We’re confident that this issue of Sharp continues to lead the way for print innovation in Canada, and we’re thrilled to partner with BMW on it.”

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