Advertising Information

In This Section: General Info | Print Advertsing | File Submissions

THE CALIFORNIA ADVOCATE DELIVERS

Research has proven time and time again that Fresno's African Americans respond more favorably to messages targeted to them. With the resurgence of cultural pride, more African Americans are aware of who they are and are responsive to more positive images of themselves as reflected in their own media. The Advocate delivers Fresno's African American Consumer.

The Black Consumer

A Major Market With Attitude

In the past, many advertisers assumed that their mass market advertising and general, major newspaper advertisement would reach all consumers with equal effectiveness. The ideology of mass marketing continues to erode as market research reveals the American market is a pluralistic grouping of various market segments, e.g., working women, Hispanics, Blacks, seniors, etc.

Historically, the Black consumer market has been the most misunderstood & least researched major consumer group. For whatever reasons, the marketing tools and information considered to be basic in the general market, have only recently been applied to the constantly growing and changing Black consumer market.

Today, most marketers recognize this as the age of market segmentation. Astute marketers of the 90s are looking at special interest segments, special user segments and finally, there are paying even more attention than before to "psychographic" market segments.

John Naisbitt, author of "Megatrends", stated in his popular book, "In today's Baskin Robbins society, everything comes in at least thirty-one flavors."

He added, "Do you remember when bathtubs were white, telephones black and checks green?"

In our changing and highly competitive environment, retailers and others must display a great deal of "marketing knowledge and muscle" to survive and prosper.

George R. Edwards, director of marketing for the World Institute of Black Communications, summarizes it this way: "...From all indications, this decade will be more complex and challenging to marketers than any previous decade.

"Mature products and the stores that sell these products must fight harder to maintain share of mind, share of inventory and share of sales.

"Yesterday's new stores and new products will have to spend more agressively and strategically to protect and expand their shares and newer products will most likely be more specifically targeted against 'highly defined segments' rather than the traditional masses.

Accordingly, marketers will have to segment the market more strategically to determine relationships between segments of users, segments of segments and changes in lifestyle caused by the aging population, the growing ethnic segments, such as Blacks and Hispanics, and the significance of changing urban mixes of ethnic groups.

"Given the quantity and magnitude of changes that have occurred and will certainly continue, together with the incredibly high cost of marketing today, strategic analysis and market segment augmentation will become more important than ever before..."

In such a dynamic and changing marketplace, no sales strategy can be truly "effective" without recognizing the dramatic, demographic, cultural and physical growth (size and affluence) of the Black consumer market.

WHY THE ADVOCATE IS A SOUND MEDIA BUY

1. The California Advocate is the only media which provides advertisers with direct marketing opportunities to the Valley's African-American community.
2. The Advocate is the only Black-Owned Media in the Valley and the only media that targets the Black Consumer.
3. The Advocate Reaches 87% More of Fresno's African American families than any other central valley newspaper.
4. The Advocate Provides Advertisers with a younger, more retail active consumer base which has larger families and is in need of news coverage about them.
5. The Advocate is Consumer-Friendly and provides advertisers with market credibility in the Black community.
6. The Advocate provides Ethnic Marketing Expertise through its in-house marketing firm: Kimber Kimber and Associates.

THE MARKETS WE SERVE

Cities: Fresno, Madera, LeMoore, Kerman, Visalia, Selma, Tulare, Clovis, Hanford & Merced

Counties: Fresno County, Kings County, Tulare County & Madera County

California Advocate Circulation by Area Code

Paid Circulation = 33,013

Newsstand Sales = 6,500

Extra Distribution = 12,500

Total Distribution = 52,013

Total Readership = 156,039

Less than 15% of Advocate readers claim a subscription to any other newspaper. In the 93706 zip code area (West Fresno) which is predominately Black, less than 8% claim any other newspaper subscription.