On the bus today, reading The Grocer tucked inconspicuously inside a copy of Men's Health, I was reassured to note that there's still only one ad for this publication, no matter what the product.
The first six full-page ads I saw - all for major national brands - each and every one exhorted the reader to go forth and... well, here it is: J20 - 'Stock up now'. Kit-Kat - 'Stock up now (to maximise your sales).' Wilkinson Sword - 'Make sure you stock [them].' Kerrygold - 'Stock up now.' McCain - 'Stock them high.' Doritos - 'Stock up now.'
Actually, I don't know why The Grocer doesn't produce a template with a whacking-great 'Stock up now' headline and just leave a space for the packshot. Why trouble the creatives when you can publish an in-house sales presenter?
But then... I came across what I wondered might be a late April Fool. A dps for a logistics company. A curious moody image of a guy with a horse's hoof and loads of steam. Oodles of small-point, reversed-out body copy. (I ran a test: a fog index of 12 - pretty high, when the tabloids aim for 5 or 6.) Now, I know The Grocer's readership is a pretty broad church, but you can't help feel that somebody, somewhere, is missing the mark.
