2009's Most Effective Magazine Advertising Campaigns

CoverGirl's campaign for Natural Hue Compact, featuring Queen Latifah, ranked as last year’s most effective magazine campaign, according to Affinity’s Vista Print Effectiveness Rating service.

Vista indexes ads using recall, brand association and consumer actions taken.

Other 2009 Vista Award winners, by product category, as reported by Advertising Age: 

* Apparel:  Coldwater Creek (dramatic, multi-page units drove reader recall)

* Automotive: Ford Taurus SHO launch campaign (enabled readers to access product demos and other information via mobile phones)

* Beverages: Simply Lemonade (clean layout highlighted product’s natural ingredients)

* Dairy/produce/meat/fish: Yoplait Light’s “Outsmart Temptation” (“tantalizing” visuals and headline spoke to readers of women’s magazines)

* Drugs/remedies (direct-to-consumer): Latisse campaign featuring Brooke Shields (brought credibility to new elective by-prescription drug for growing eyelashes)

* Drugs/remedies (over-the-counter): Mucinex DM (animated character drove high recall and reader action scores)

* Entertainment: “The Ugly Truth” (“eye-catching, visually balanced” ad featuring movie’s stars, Katherine Heigl and Gerard Butler, stood out in entertainment magazines)

* Finance/insurance: Aflac (successfully migrated its duck mascot from TV to print)

* Fine jewelry: Cartier (simple designs in which “the product always takes center stage”)

* Fragrances: Chanel Coco (promoted trial through scent strip and varied ad units in Mademoiselle)

* Hair-care: Pantene Pro-V (offered custom beauty tips in a variety of ad units)

* Home improvement: Behr Paint (“flamboyant use of color/contrast” appealed to shelter magazine readers)

* Household furnishings: Calvin Klein (“stunning product visuals” combined with the power of the Klein brand, drove recall, brand association)

* Household products: Lysol Disinfectant (leveraged half- and full-page units to "showcase multiple brands in targeted parenting and women’s titles”)

* Liquor: Corona Extra (“visually driven” print campaign effectively conveyed same “relaxation theme” as brand’s TV efforts)

* Packaged foods: Pepperidge Farm Whole Grain Goldfish (drove parents to the Web for tips on promoting healthy eating by their children)

* Personal care: Vaseline Coco Butter (targeted to women of color via placements in predominantly African-American magazines)

* Retail: Bed Bath & Beyond (dominant 20%-off coupon drove ad recall and store visits)

* Skin care (face): Olay Regenerist (effectively employed testimonials, research)

* Telecommunications: Apple iPhone (matched apps featured in ads to the content of the magazines in which ads appeared)

* Travel: Sandals (variety of ad units showcased resort’s properties)

 Click here to view all of the winning ads in Ad Age’s digital presentation.