Canada’s newest national magazine won’t contain an editor’s letter or back page column. It won’t include long features, tips and tricks, celebrity pictures, contests, infographics, book excerpts, or any other hallmark of a print publication. What it will have is ads – lots of ads.
Debuting in August, It Ran is actually the newest fundraising initiative for the National Advertising Benevolent Society (NABS), which provides support to marketing and communications professionals facing challenges because of illness, injury, unemployment or financial difficulties.
The content-free magazine was developed by LG2 Toronto. The agency’s creative director Chris Hirsch said the inspiration came from looking at old copies of the annual NABS Calendar.
“Hopefully it can replace the spirit and popularity of the calendar,” said Hirsch. “I always like when ad agencies stop for a minute and make fun of themselves.”
For a $500 donation to NABS (“a fraction of the price” of a regular magazine ad, said Hirsch), agencies can run a full-page ad of their choosing in It Ran. “Sales” for the inaugural issue close on July 15.
NABS is promoting the fundraising initiative with a nearly two-minute YouTube video that plays up the notion of doing anything you want in an ad. The video brings the concept to life through unconventional casting choices, odd music and some decidedly unusual actions by the actors.
“We decided to live up to the promise of doing anything you want with an ad in the video itself,” said Hirsch of the video, which is also being seeded through social media. “Seeing as it’s currently awards show season, it’s a breath of fresh air while people are freaking out,” said Hirsch.
The goal in the first year, he said, is to create enough awareness and interest of the initiative to produce the magazine on an annual basis, while potential spin-offs could include an awards show for the best It Ran ad.
“The expectations in the first year are just to get people talking about it, and get some donations,” said Hirsch. “We want to re-introduce NABS to the creative community in a way that resonates.”
