I think the Ad is OK… it looks different from many advertisements in audio/video magazines. It reminds me of the Gateway 2000 ads in the early 1990’s with the CEO and several employees dressed up in silly costumes, like robin hood, or jousting knights, etc. Those Gateway ads did not look too slick or professional, but were effective and fit with the image of a small mid-west company that delivered value in personal computers.

Nonetheless, Outlaw needs to determine how to effectively position its product(s) against the competition. I believe the answer is VALUE in terms of quality relative to price. More specifically: quality of sound, quality of service and quality of construction/components, which together give Outlaw and edge over its competitors.

The ad does not communicate the concept of value; for example, the first technical line (lower right side) mentions 7 x 65 watts per channel… well, Yamaha (a recognized brand with a long history) has a HT receiver priced at $350 less than the 1070 and rated at 95wpc, that was recently written up in the Absolute Sound/Perfect vision. Would a potential customer rather buy an unknown brand that has “less” power and is more expensive, or buy a well known brand with more power that costs 1/3 less? A similar argument could be made with Denon products and many others that have lots of bells and whistles and/or high power ratings. This needs to be considered.

Other thoughts for improvement…
a) The ad layout is a bit busy with roughly 5 sections on the page. One option would be to have one background image: all white, all black or a light image of the forest. Also, the “even robin hood would be proud” text seems to distract from “how to steal like an outlaw.” Finally, people’s eyes are often drawn to areas with the most contrast, as in the lower center of the advertisement (black area that borders the white area). Is the lower center the intended focus of the advertisement or should the focus be on some other area?

b) The web site and saloon discussions are very helpful to new/existing customers and a good sales tool. The web site should be more prominently displayed on ads.

c) I’m also a fan of seeing the back of the unit as several other people mentioned above.