Sequential Circuits "Happy Holiday Season" ad, Keyboard 1984

Sequential "Happy Holiday Season" quarter page advertisement from page 85 in Keyboard Magazine December 1984.

I've been yapping recently about how rare company 'holiday-themed' ads are. My last blog post was about an Oberheim holiday ad that still managed to keep their products front and centre, but this ad from Sequential is even more special to me. Because it doesn't even mention a product. And because I get to see Sequential's cool logo/font.

To be fair, during this time period, I believe Sequential had a number of product advertisements constantly running in Keyboard, but it is still quite startling for me to see a manufacturer's ad that doesn't mention their products at all.

Sure, it is only a quarter of a page in size, and in black and white, and in the back half of Keyboard. But heck, I appreciate the fact that Sequential put in the time, effort, and $s to create this classy message for Keyboard readers.

And I'm also appreciating the holiday time I'm taking right now. Although, for the record, I am at work. Gah!

I'd like to extend my own best wishes for a happy holiday season.

Happy new year everyone!

Oberheim holiday-themed family of products ad, Keyboard 1985

Oberheim holiday-themed family of products advertisement from the back-inside cover of Keyboard Magazine, December 1985.

I had mentioned at the end of a recent Keyboard magazine holiday gift subscription blog post, that these season-themed ads were "few and far between". But here is one good example.

Oberheim had pretty much taken over the back-inside cover of Keyboard Magazine starting in January 1984, and kept that advertising hot-spot well into 1988. Month after month, most of those ads had a very distinctive design- and this illustrated ad definitely didn't follow that style. In fact, that is one of the reasons it stands out so well.

Flipping through the December 1985 issue of Keyboard, I soon realized that it looked like this Oberheim advertisement was the only ad that referenced the holiday season. Keyboard Magazine itself had it's usual give-the-gift-of-Keyboard subscription-type ads and forms, but no other manufacturer or service seemed to try and jump on Santa's bandwagon sleigh.

But Oberheim goes full-on, splurging on a colourful illustrated back-inside cover ad that only seemed to have been used once that year. And they do it with a bit of humor too. Under the tag-line "Sounds of the Seasons", You've got cute Santa hands playing a... er... helicopter sounds?!?!

As the kids would say - LMFAO.

And, of course, cutest of all... the modified Oberheim logo with a Santa hat in the bottom left hand corner. Now, most branding experts will try and tell you to never mess with your logo. But, usually those Branding experts are referring to a full-on long-term logo/branding change (a la GAP fiasco). Short term changes such as the one above are harmless as far as I'm concerned. Especially if done with humor. Just look at the constantly changing Google logo on it's search home page. I doubt that has hurt their brand at all. Think of Oberheim as the Google of the synthesizer world at this point. So big that they didn't even have to include photos of their products in this ad. Everyone reading Keyboard knew what a Matrix 12 looked like. :o)

And with all those great Oberheim products available during the 1985 Christmas season, this is one family that I wouldn't mind visiting with during the holidays.

Subscription forms and associated material, Keyboard 1986

Subscription form/envelope from page 161 in Keyboard Magazine November 1986.

Folding instructions? Tape?

Yes, I know I'm milking this subscription form thing. But I really do find it interesting. Especially when you look back at subscription forms from 1975 and from 1976, and then jump a decade into the future and see just how much the style and design have changed, probably mostly due to advances in printing technology. And, what a difference a decade makes.

So, as I was saying... folding instructions?! You know you trust the capabilities of your readership when you including folding/taping instructions in your magazine subscription form. And, even crazier, the 'tear' design of the page rotates the folding lines off on an angle, making folding the page a tad confusing.

But, Keyboard was obviously aware of this potential issue, so on the back of the page, the business reply address label is deliberately printed on an angle as well so folding on the angled lines actually works for the most part. Nice save.

My only other concern is that I would think that the more work you make a potential subscriber do (fold and tape), the less chance they will take the time to do it. But then again, I'm lazy (or, as I prefer to call it, "efficient").

Looking at the design, I can't help but instantly be transported back to the 80s. The 'teared page' layout brings back the days of ripped jeans and turned-up collars, and the front cover images used on the page immediately had me humming "Don't You Forget About Me" by Simple Minds.

So, after figuring out the whole folding issue and then recalling how great the 80s were, I then realized, "Hey, this is the November issue? Why isn't this subscription form holiday-themed and why doesn't it include a gift subscription form like in the the decade before?

Well, actually, turns out these can be found in the mag. I just somehow missed it the first time I was flipping through it. The gift subscription form/envelope is attached between pages 82 and 83. And, on page 83 is the accompanying full-page subscription promo ad.

Just look at that pile of magazines with the Martha-Stewart-esque bow wrapped around 'em. And reading the ad-copy, I realized that the coolest thing is that along with the subscription form/envelope attachment, as seen below...

... Keyboard also includes a gift card/envelope attachment (see below) to send directly to the friend you generously gave the subscription to. That way they don't have to wait the 6-8 weeks to realize you weren't a cheap bastard. And thinking back, I actually recall receiving this envelope in the mail from MY MOM when she renewed my subscription one year, even when we lived in the same house. Seriously. How awesome is my mom!

Well, I'm seriously thinking about taking next week off. Recharge the brain, work on music, and all that fun stuff. And, I may be able to put the final touches on my latest project and get that launched. But, like I said earlier, I'm lazy efficient, so it may be a while longer before that stuff sees the light of day.

But I got at least another four days to figure all that out... Happy holidays everyone. :o)

Subscription forms and associated material, Contemporary Keyboard 1976

(more images below!)

Subscription forms in Contemporary Keyboard November/December 1976.

What a difference a year makes...

It seems like only yesterday that Contemporary Keyboard magazine subscription promos were all about "inspiration" and Michelangelo-like imagery. One year later, and CK decided to get a little more... er... contemporary... with their own advertisements. Because, really, that's what they are - advertisements for CK. In CK.

The magazine was still young and CK was still in that initial stage of increasing subscribership. And in the holiday season of 1976, they decided to take two different approaches - both mainly geared towards giving a subscription of CK as a gift.

As you flip through the magazine, the first subscription form stapled in between pages is geared directly towards a particular audience - music teachers. See the scanned images above. I have to say, that photo looks a little staged :o)

Interestingly, CK kept the "inspire" theme going from the original subscription forms I blogged about in my last post. Also, CK made sure not to exclude any teachers, by adding the line, "Give them the experience of classical masters and rock stars alike".

The form itself has room for two gift subscriptions that includes a space for a special CK greeting card content (excellent!), as well as space for the reader to start or renew their own subscription. That's three forms in one - good use of space.

I'm not sure if they had already received some marketing data indicating a high percentage of teachers as part of the their readership, or if it was just a hunch by someone working in the office. But, targeting a specific audience can backfire against any other groups that might also be interested in subscribing.

So, it's a good thing that further into the magazine readers come across this more generalized holiday gift promo.

Just look at that photo. That awesome Minimoog. That awesome hair. That awesome Odyessy Axxe. That awesome hair. And... that awesome hair. I'd "take a little bit" of that (the synths, not the hair. Ok... some of that hair...).

This full page advertisement provides for a lot more room for ad-copy, and it's a total hard-sell, pushing the magazine towards all audiences. Fellow band members, young musicians, favorite teacher, and electronics buff. Plus, they also give you a deal if you order more than one subscription - only $9 an issue. Excellent!

CK also announces that CK will start being published monthly starting January 1977. Up until then the magazine was being published every two months.

Attached to this full page ad is the envelope/form itself.

Again, we have room for multiple gift forms, and again a form for the gifter as well. Four in all. Because this full page ad and form was directed more towards a general audience, rather than just teachers, I would have liked to have seen the ratio of incoming forms. It would have provided some good data about the readership or whether the more directed form worked well. I'll probably just flip through some later issues at some point. If it worked, I'm sure I'll see more directed promos in future issues.

Interestingly, I took a quick look and holiday- themed ads are few and far between. One of the ones I can remember was SCI's holiday accessories/merchandise ad from 1982. But even it didn't really mention the holidays. Gah!

I'll dig through some more issues and try and find some.

Subscription form and associated material, Contemporary Keyboard 1975

More images below!

Subscription form attached between the front inside cover and page 3 in Contemporary Keyboard November/December 1975.

"I remember when I was a kid..."

Well, it is getting near the end of the year, and I thought I would scan something a little bit different. And this blast from the past shows me just how much I take the Internet for granted.

Now'r days, if you want to subscribe to a magazine, you just head over to their Web site, hit that big subscribe button, and charge the sucker to your credit card. I've done it with Keyboard Magazine, Computer Music and many others. But it wasn't always that easy.

Back in the day when Contemporary Keyboard was first getting started, they needed to get subscriptions up... and fast. But without the Internet around, they had to resort to (*gasp*) snail mail. So like most, if not all magazines, they included a subscription form.

This two-sided subscription form was attached between the front inside cover and page three of the mag. On the front was a nice big promo including details about the mag and the cost - six bucks for six issues (can't beat that!). And, to make sure it was visible, it was printed in a really bright red colour with some crazy imagery.

On the back was the actual form, with pricing and address info. You could even save a few bucks by subscribing in multiples of six's.

But, the problem was that this subscription form was only about 4 x 6.5 inches (10 x 16.5 cm). So, even in bright red, I guess CK thought it could easily get lost. So, to help everyone find this important piece of material, CK also included a big one page subscription ad only a page-flip away on page five, sending the reader back a page flip.

And it is on page five that we get a better idea on why this Michelangelo-like imagery was chosen. Just look at the tagline - "A Truly Inspiring Music Magazine".

So, now that the reader has found the form and filled out a check for the appropriate amount, Contemporary Keyboard again wanted to make sure it was as easy as possible to get that money back to them. So, at the bottom of the back page of the form, you will see the text "Detach this page, fold, and insert into envelope".

What envelope...?

Well, sure enough, I flipped to the back of the magazine and found that the other half of the form page was attached to a mail-in envelope. Address info already printed on the front, and postage paid. They even kept the 'inspiring' imagery going.

So, let me get this straight. A buck an issue. And postage paid?

Count me in!

But what a hassle from CK's end. All that design, print and other resources that had to go into this just-starting-out magazine.

CK kept this form and envelope going until October/November 1976 issue when they changed it to a more contemporary design to promote subscriptions as a holiday gift.

Soooooo, if anyone wants to get *me* a holiday gift...

hint... hint...