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Leo Burnett, an advertising executive renown for creating icons such as the Jolly Green Giant, the 7up "Spot" and Tony the Tiger amongst others once said:

"If you don't get noticed, you don't have anything. You just have to be noticed, but the art is in getting noticed naturally, without screaming or without tricks. It is not the creation of new and tricky words and pictures, but one of putting familiar words and pictures into new relationships."

Raising awareness of your product service can be achieved with a strong, consistent campaign over an extended period of time. This does not mean repeating the same advert month after month in a publication because, while it can be effective, it is dependent on the proposition being strong in the first place. Just giving an ad time to bed-in does not guarantee success and will certainly not become any more persuasive if it does not produce the desired results early on. Indeed, research has shown that advertising is effective either immediately, or not at all.

If you flick across the pages of any newspaper or magazine you will spot familiar imagery and patterns. Many brands catch the eye purely by font they use or the graphics featured in their logo. In the latter case our brains are long past the need to see a company or product name to know who or what it is. There is a connection we make which grabs our attention. If we have purchased from them before it's almost as if we are meeting someone we know in the street - we pause for a moment and say hello and the same can work with advertising. It's comfortable feeling and it's as if the message is speaking to us.

Advertising now takes many forms and is no longer confined to printed and televisual media. According to media communications agency Carat, online advertising spend is set to have a 22.3 per cent share in the UK in 2008, behind newspapers at 30.3 per cent, television at 25.6 per cent but ahead of magazines at 11.4 per cent. With so many messages competing for out attention we need to plan our approach with care and precision.

Online magazines for example are a new and exciting format that takes advertising and promotion to another level. On paper we expect a static image but the flexibility of the online model allows creativity in getting the message across using animation and video.

One possible way to grab a readers attention could be by a slow reveal across different pages or issues where the message is simply intriguing but not obvious. A date and no other information

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