The Product Is You, No. 17

[The Product Is You* is an occasional Murketing series collecting advertising that is aimed at advertisers: Magazines or television networks packaging up their consumers — that is, you, the potential ad target — in ways designed to attract advertisers. ]

Meredith, publisher of magazines such as Better Homes, Parents, More, and ReadyMade, and operator of various associated online properties, here explains to potential advertisers the reason they should buy space in the Meredith universe. If you are among the “75 million women” that the ad states are Meredith’s audience, that reason is you.

Often you the media audience are pitched to potential advertisers with statistics or catchphrases. Here, a visual dominates. The woman in the ad evidently stands in for the Meredith reader in general. As you can see, she is in a state of yoga harmony; mindful; pacific. But consider the context: The yoga togs, though not flashy, look nice, and she’s even wearing earrings; she’s outside on a perfect day, on what seems to be a pristine deck with a killer view.

“Investing in herself has never been more of a priority for her right now,” the copy informs potential advertisers. Turns out Meredith is there to “encourage and empower her,” in “celebrating who she is now and helping her embrace what’s next.” What’s next? Hey! Maybe “what’s next” is the product or brand that readers of this ad are preparing to launch! Wouldn’t they like this appealing consumer to know about it? The pitch concludes by suggesting that those who wish to “build [their] brand equity” would be wise to “connect” with the 75 million women represented by this charismatic yoga  practitioner, through the pages (print and digital) of Meredith’s media properties.