Bull Advertisements

[DOC HARRIS]

So if a good picture is so important then why are there so many people using bulls that look horrible, not masculine, flat sided and bad back legs. 9/10 if they aren't standing right on their back legs it's for a reason......THEY CAN'T!

SEC -

The answer to your question is - BECAUSE THEY ARE BARN BLIND! They lack knowledge and education to really KNOW what is acceptable and what is NOT!

DON'T GET ME STARTED! (again!)

DOC HARRIS

 

[aplusmnt]

When I am thumbing through a Catalog, I am just looking at the pictures. The first thing that makes me stop and look at a bull more farther rather than turn the page to the next one is his phenotype in the Picture. Is he the type of bull I would want to use first and foremost by his pic.

Then I look at his Bloodline, then his epd's.

Farther info I like to have to look at is a couple Pics of offspring, a pic of his Damn and if is a show bull maybe a list of accomplishments from his offspring.

I like when there is more than one angle on pics, one from side and one from behind.

And like Jeanne said I like it when they clearly state its breed. So many black cattle sometimes hard to know what he exactly is.

Also look to see who all might be partnered in with him. Usually more than one owner.

Also like when they have a pic of him with his working clothes on when he is say 3 or older instead of the yearling pic he posed for.

 

[SEC]

Good to hear from you again Doc, thanks for your support I thought I was on an island by myself.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Doc & Aplusmnt - I totally agree
FIRST IMPRESSION & LOGO (recognition) is sooo important (as I previously stated)
And SEC is correct about pics - you can have an awful pic of a great bull or reverse. First & foremost, you have to know WHAT LOOKS GOOD! If you don't have a great eye, let someone else look at the pics.
One BAD pic can kill all the good the rest of the ad has to offer. I KNOW, I have a good looking bull, but I sure have taken some awful pics of him (immediately thrown in the trash) I may take a whole roll of film & get 1 that truly shows his attributes (same with cows/calves)
P.S. Now I have a DIGITAL camera, yeah! Haven't taken any cattle pics - who would want to see mudballs???? :shock:

 

[Simmishowchick]

As a younger up and coming breeder, bulls need to have a decent picture, one that I can tell what my cows are going to gain from them. I like to see the side and butt views personally so it makes it seem like he is right in front of me. Ya know?! I also like to see the Epds, TH free or a carrier, if it is in the maine department, I wish they would start advertising PHA results. I also like to see pictures of previous offspring, so I can tell what they look like to what he as already thrown. Hope your ad turns out great!

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

This is a good thread. I am currently working on my national publication ads. So it is good to see others interest.
I use the pic which is my avatar (rear angle) and I use a front angle shot with it. Some ads, I've put pics of offspring & some I've put his mature pasture pic (small).
But, I can't afford a full page ad, so it will be a 1/2 page & has limited space for very many pics without them getting so small they can't be analized, and I think that is a mistake to use.

 

[Brandonm2]

I have too agree with what has already been said about the pic. A BAD pic kills; but a good pic does not do that much for me. Just about every bull at some point in their life has a good profile shot taken of them, so I kind of gloss over the photo, unless I think I see a structural flaw. Maybe I am old fashioned but I need to see (at least) a shot from directly behind for me too really draw conclusions about a bull from photos. Genex is now putting little music videos of their most promoted sires on their website. While I can do without the electric guitar or the piano music accompaniment, let me see a bull move around a pen doing figure 8s and I REALLY learn plenty about a bull. I also like too see weaned progeny and mature daughters even though I realize that those COULD be the best half dozen out of a 100.

 

[aplusmnt]

This is a good thread. I am currently working on my national publication ads. So it is good to see others interest.
I use the pic which is my avatar (rear angle) and I use a front angle shot with it. Some ads, I've put pics of offspring & some I've put his mature pasture pic (small).
But, I can't afford a full page ad, so it will be a 1/2 page & has limited space for very many pics without them getting so small they can't be analized, and I think that is a mistake to use.

Jeanne what magazine are you working an ad up for? We can all scrutinize it after you are done :lol:

Ps. You should run an add in Show Circuit or some club calf Show magazines, that butt shot of Macho might sell some semen in them.

 

[MikeC]

Heres an ad I did a while back and put way too much info:

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[J. T.]

LOVE THOSE COLORS MIKE! WARRR EAGLE!

 

[aplusmnt]

Mike I do not really like it when ads have mis information in them like your ad and the Auburn University Football teams Success ;-) :lol:

Your ad does bring up something I do like. I like to see the epd's in the little boxes with numbers below the epd type. Instead of all ran together.

I am a fast skim reader and like it simple and fast to find what I am looking for.

I also find it interesting when the ad tells the type of cattle the bull has worked good on in past.

Also like it when they list the actual Birth Weight not just the BW epd. Registration number is also good, so a person can look them up on breed web pages.

example: XX Bull works good on clean fronted Angus cattle needing to add some width, muscle and flesh-ability.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Mike, I was unable to read the info, but I thought the ad looked GREAT! Super "leader line" to catch their eye/interest.
I have run full page ads in our Nat'l publication, but they were Black & white - way too expensive.
What format did you use to get the ad on this site??
Did you scan the ad? or already have the whole ad on a web site?
I have enough trouble just posting a pic :shock:

Aplusmnt - just ran a 1/4 page with SimTalk and putting together one for The Register (nat'l Simmental). Have run ads with Livetock Plus and another clubby one, can't remember the name. Plan on running another one with Livestock Plus - and I use the front & rear pics saying "Coming or Going, He Looks Great!
I have also been using a "gimic"
"Recipe for Success" and I set up the data on him like a recipe.
LIke:
A full dose of: Homozygous Polled & Homozygous Black
Bake for 9 months & enjoy for a lifetime.

 

[MikeC]

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Mike, I was unable to read the info, but I thought the ad looked GREAT! Super "leader line" to catch their eye/interest.
I have run full page ads in our Nat'l publication, but they were Black & white - way too expensive.
What format did you use to get the ad on this site??
Did you scan the ad? or already have the whole ad on a web site?
I have enough trouble just posting a pic

Thanks,

I use Adobe Photoshop and save them as a PDF file, then I can convert to Jpeg, Tiff, or most any other format.

Photoshop is hard to learn but it will do anything imaginable. I figure out new things everyday on it.

It's neat to be able to send an ad by e-mail to the magazines too. My wife is pretty good on it and I'm trying to talk her in to doing some sales catalogs this year.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Mike, I make all my ads in a PDF file also, but use a different program. I have the full Photo Shop but have not played with it enough to understand it :shock: little too fancy for me.
I'll have to see if I can convert to Jpeg.
Love being able to email them

 

[Running Arrow Bill]

We us Word Perfect for all of our promotional copy, in-house material, advertising copy. When our adv is "finalized" we send the publisher an e-mail announcing what we are sending them: .jpeg file of the photo to use, .pdf file of the copy & layout. Then, any tweaking of the adv we exchange e-mails as needed.

Make sure you have a lot of "white space" in your adv and don't over-burden the reader with a lot of detail: "Just the facts, mam"!

Idea of an adv is to attract attention, encourage reader to contact you further. Always have your location, phone numbers, e-mail and website addresses in your adv. Nothing is more irritating than someone's adv. not mentioning where they are located.

 

[dun]

There's one other thing that will turn me away from an ad. Mispelled words! My thought process is that if they don;t even take the time to check the spelling what else are they skimping on. Makes it look vary bush league

dun

 

[Frankie]

The first thing that jumped out at me from your ad, Mike, is that while you list the Final Test Ratio for Lots 55 and 58, you don't list it for Lot 10. That would raise my eyebrows. We all know that we're going to have some bulls do good and some not so good. This makes it look like you're trying to hide something. I'd either list them all, the good, the bad, and the ugly or not list them at all.

 

[MikeC]

The first thing that jumped out at me from your ad, Mike, is that while you list the Final Test Ratio for Lots 55 and 58, you don't list it for Lot 10. That would raise my eyebrows. We all know that we're going to have some bulls do good and some not so good. This makes it look like you're trying to hide something. I'd either list them all, the good, the bad, and the ugly or not list them at all.

He (#10) was in the Junior Test and at press time the final ratios weren't in yet for his group. They had about 20 more days before their test was over.

Lots 55 and 58 were in the Senior group and all data was in.

The ad was for a Dec. publication and there were time constraints. If I had waited and published the ad in Jan., they would not get the mag before the bull sale.

The ad served 2 purposes.

#1 my herd sire
#2 the calves on test

Everyone is not trying to cover up something Frankie. :lol:

 

[Frankie]

The first thing that jumped out at me from your ad, Mike, is that while you list the Final Test Ratio for Lots 55 and 58, you don't list it for Lot 10. That would raise my eyebrows. We all know that we're going to have some bulls do good and some not so good. This makes it look like you're trying to hide something. I'd either list them all, the good, the bad, and the ugly or not list them at all.

He (#10) was in the Junior Test and at press time the final ratios weren't in yet for his group. They had about 20 more days before their test was over.

Lots 55 and 58 were in the Senior group and all data was in.

The ad was for a Dec. publication and there were time constraints. If I had waited and published the ad in Jan., they would not get the mag before the bull sale.

The ad served 2 purposes.

#1 my herd sire
#2 the calves on test

Everyone is not trying to cover up something Frankie. :lol:

I'm not beating up your ad. I think I'm pretty reflective of the public. If I see actual BWs on some cattle and not on others, I want to know why. If I see ratios on some, not on others, I want to know why.

You have a reason, why not put it in the ad? "Ratio available sale day."

But it's your ad. Put whatever you want in it (or not). Don't figure that people won't notice though. Honest, I was just trying to help.

 

[MikeC]

I'd either list them all, the good, the bad, and the ugly or not list them at all.

You're not "beating up" my ad..... but you write this? :lol:

I DID list them all. ;-)

I posted the ad here in the first place because it was a lesson on what "NOT" to do.

Too much info.

The ad did generate a lot of calls and contacts though. Sold some semen too!