FAQs

If THE ADVERTISING SHOP is that good, why are you so much cheaper than your competitors?

Actually, we don't think we have any real competitors when it comes to our ‘visibility' packages. Yes, there are printers whose list prices are cheaper than ours because they don't do copywriting – they just print what you ask for. And if they do offer design, it's charged as an extra. You can also find graphic designers but again, no writing and no printing – you get artwork that looks great but are expected to supply your own concepts, headlines and text. And vice versa, should you be fortunate enough to find a good copywriter (they're pretty thin on the ground).

If you're talking about bespoke work, yes, there are lots of other ad agencies around. But we don't think you'll find another one with prices like ours. Most of them will laugh you out of the door if you don't have tens of thousands to spend. We'll often give you change of a grand.

So how do we keep prices so affordable? Well for a start, most of our creative people work from their own studios, linked to us by email and phone. Plus, we don't employ sales staff or a team of administrators. These factors keep overheads low, and we pass on the savings to our clients.

Next, we rely on our copywriters and designers to keep a careful eye on the ticking clock and make sure deadlines are met every time, whether we're working on ‘visibility' or bespoke projects. Everyone who works for us is used to project-managing contributors, collating and editing vast quantities of materials from numerous sources and writing or designing to strict timescales. That said, our directors are always aware of all jobs being processed and will crack the whip as necessary.

You may know that most advertising or marketing companies charge clients more in the first place so that they can re-do your job if you don't like it first time. If you do like it, they simply pocket the excess and laugh all the way to the pub. We do things the other way round and work harder to get the job right first time. So we don't have time to go to the pub anyway.

Another invisible cost-cutter: no meetings at all are included in the prices of ‘visibility' jobs (though you're welcome to book meetings or consultation phone calls and be billed for them if you want to). And unless your project demands it, we don't go in for lengthy client meetings for bespoke work either. Do you want really want to pay to talk to us? We'll generally send stuff to you electronically in PDF format.

I want something that’s not on your ‘visibility’ packages list but my business isn’t made of money. Your ‘bespoke’ charges seem too expensive to me.

Expensive compared to what? You wouldn’t think twice about paying a decent garage our hourly rate to fix your car. And one engine’s much like the next, unlike most businesses.

Think about it. We start off with no knowledge of your company, your customers or you. So we take a brief (two or three hours), look at any current literature or website (another hour) and assess what your competitors are doing so we can better it. We familiarise ourselves with your main selling point/s, decide which are compelling enough to convince customers to read on, and devise earth-shatteringly clever lines and visual ideas for the concept (another couple of hours). And only then (we’re exhausted already!) can we get down to actually setting up the document to the correct size on the Mac, importing and re-sizing your logo and/or choosing and cropping or treating photos from your disk, writing the copy, selecting appropriate colours and typefaces, re-arranging – and re-arranging and re-arranging – the headline, text and visuals on the page so they look great, amending all the colours so they’re in the right CMYK form for printing, presenting the initial ideas to you, and incorporating any amendments before proof-reading your job ready for you to sign off for printing. Phew.

We’re tempted to double our prices after writing all that. Still need convincing that we offer exceptional value for money?

I want to order one or more 'visibility' packages but also need other stuff that’s not offered on the list. Can I mix and match?

No problem. Although they can’t be seen or ordered online, logo designs and all sorts of other creative options are available via our bespoke service and can be artworked to match your chosen ‘visibility’ designs. However, with the exception of ordering different quantities from those published (we can quote for any print quantity for ‘visibility’ packages at great prices) these projects would fall into our bespoke category and would be charged accordingly. Please call us for an estimate.

I’d like a ‘visibility’ package but can I have it in a different size, say for a poster or square leaflet?

The answer’s yes – but as above it would become a bespoke job because we wouldn’t be able to ‘drop’ your copy and pics straight into one of our adaptable designs. The template would have to be altered specially and of course that would take time. However, it would definitely take less time than if you commissioned bespoke work from scratch, so it shouldn’t break the bank.

I really like one or more of the pictures you’ve used to demonstrate the layouts on your site. Can I use them instead of supplying my own images?

Hmmm. We don’t want to commit to this one. The thing is, yes, technically the rights are available for anyone to buy. But we’re not image resellers. And if lots of people asked us for the same photographs or illustrations the final artwork could end up looking pretty similar to someone else’s, which goes against the grain for an agency committed to differentiating clients in their marketplaces. The best thing is to ask us and we’ll make a decision based on your location and whether we’ve been asked to use that image before. If we think it’s a bad idea we’ll be happy to find you a similar image at the same price.

Why is the text in your 'visibility' work shown in 'Latin'?

We knew someone would ask that one. Basically, the 'text' is only there to show the position your copy will go in and demonstrate how it looks on the page. If we put real copy into each piece you'd be distracted by it - and it's important to focus on the concepts and designs instead of the content at this stage.

Can I use any font I like in ‘visibility’ artwork?

Yes, in the sense that we can buy in the rights to use any you specify if we don’t already have them in our systems. Whatever fonts you want, we can only send them to print in PDF format to satisfy licensing laws.

Doesn’t the creative work suffer because you’re working so fast?

Nope. We spend acres of time getting each ‘visibility’ design honed before we launch them, so a lot of the hard graft’s already been done behind the scenes. Even on bespoke work, where we’re creating things entirely from scratch, years of experience mean standards aren’t compromised by working fast, because we know how to get our heads around each brief at the speed of light. Basically, the only way we can do good work as fast as we do – and keep costs low – is to get each job right first time. This means you have a responsibility to make sure you give us all the information we need to progress without spending too much time on research. Our fees (unless you ask us to factor it in) simply don’t allow for reading through lengthy websites or brochures to get up to speed. It helps if you think carefully about exactly what you want before you commission us so that we can hit the ground running.

How long will it take to get my ‘visibility’ printwork?

It's not like ordering from a printer where it's a matter of putting your job in a queue for the next available slot. There's quite a lot to do creatively, so it usually takes about a week or so for our designers and copywriters to work their magic and send your eproof. It's then in your hands for a while. Your ‘visibility’ amendments have to be sent back to us within two weeks or they become chargeable.

If there are no changes and you sign it off first time we'll sent it to print without delay, and you'll have your stuff in stock some 7-14 days later, as long as something like a bank holiday or Christmas hasn't held us up (or the post or couriers, if it's mail order). Every time you hang on to make changes it'll delay things, as it'll then take us a few days to implement them and send you the revised version. So if you want it fast, act fast!

Does THE ADVERTISING SHOP have quality controls?

Of course. We proof read everything again and again to make sure that there are no typographical errors, colours are correct, guidelines are followed and your logo hasn’t slipped off the page.

But you have to do your bit, too, to check that you’re happy with the way your work looks and reads, especially when we’re about to go to print. By signing off the final proof you take responsibility for any errors, and confirming that: you’re satisfied with what we’ve written, designed and typeset; that it’s honest, true, legal and decent; that everything’s included that should be; that names, contact details are accurate and so on. Your email at this stage represents a confirmation that work is complete and is an instruction to print or produce whatever task is being processed. In particular, please note that you’ll be responsible for paying the final invoice for work we carry out (concepts, copywriting, design or research) even if you decide not to proceed with production for any reason whatsoever.

Can I supply my own copy?

Most people don't want to as they'd prefer it to be professionally written, but if you want to write it we'll advise you on its suitability as long as you promise not to be hurt if we think it could be improved. We're afraid there's no discount if we use your words because we'll always have to edit it to be exactly the right length to fit the design. Likewise, if you ask us to amend something in a way that’s grammatically incorrect or reads badly, we'll tell you.

Can I cancel my order if I change my mind?

Partial refunds may be offered on cancelled orders prior to printing but no refunds whatsoever can be made once work has gone to print or a website has been launched, and we will not be held responsible for any errors that you did not bring to our attention before authorising publication.

What if I want to make a complaint?

Naturally we hope you'll be happy with everything we do, but in the unlikely event that you're not satisfied with any aspect of our products or service we'd like to be the first to hear about it. Please telephone us on 01225 447474 or send an email to issues@theadvertisingshop.com and we'll do everything we can to put things right and restore your faith in us.

If I order a ‘visibility’ package I’ll have a good idea of what the work is going to look like when it’s adapted. But what if I don’t like the bespoke work you do?

99% of our ‘bespoke’ clients are delighted with the first ideas they see. Unless time or money is exceptionally limited or you know precisely what you want, you’ll be shown at least two creative approaches. But commissioning creative work of any sort – whether you’re having a portrait painted, piece of jewellery designed or just new hair cut – is always a leap of faith. You have to choose your artist, agency – or hair stylist – carefully, look at previous work they’ve done, decide if they seem to empathise with your needs, ensure you like them and then make your decision to brief in your work… or not.

One set of minor amendments (colour, size or small copy changes etc) is included in the quoted price of all jobs, ‘visibility’ or bespoke. However, if we’ve matched the brief and created work that simply doesn’t feel right for purely subjective reasons, we’ll try our best to find a solution that pleases you at no extra charge but, of course, the bill still stands, just as a portrait painter would demand his payment if you objected to him depicting your double chin when you’d told him to paint you warts and all.

I don’t live or work near THE ADVERTISING SHOP. Can you post my company’s work?

Absolutely. Most clients pick up their bespoke work from us but we're happy to make other arrangements or courier it to you and will let you know costs on request.

We can post ‘visibility' printwork to any UK mainland address - in the future we should be able to calculate this for you automatically on this site but for now please ask us for a price, as this will depend on the total size and weight of your order.

Normal standard postage and packing rates vary between £4.95 (ie: for 500 business cards or DL leaflets) and £15.95 (for a 500 stationery packs) or we will be happy to arrange courier express delivery for an extra charge.

Can I pay for ‘visibility’ packages or bespoke work by cheque, or transfer monies electronically from my bank to yours?

Yes, you can bring in or post a cheque to us (made out to 'The Advertising Shop' please) but card payments speed things up because we can start on your project straight away rather than waiting for the cheque to clear. By arrangement you can also transfer payment directly into our bank account.

Advertising’s unpredictable, isn’t it? It might not work.

Actually, it’s very predictable: experts predict that your business will fail without it. As our literature says: ‘Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark. You know you’re doing it but nobody else does.’ Make sure everyone knows what you offer and why they should buy it.

Surely word of mouth is the best way of growing a business.

Word of mouth is great, we agree. But you need an awful lot of mouths saying the right things to the right people to reach as many targets as one good ad or mailshot can. How many friends do you have? And won’t they be more interested in talking their own businesses up than promoting yours?

I still think advertising is really complicated.

It is, isn’t it? That’s why you need people like us to sort it out for you. Get in touch now!