Tweet

February 11, 2016

Proceedings of the Natural Institute of Science | Volume 3 | SCI-NEWS 5

Elsevier’s new Valentine’s Day ad campaign urges scientists to buy a paywalled article for that 'special someone'

NEW YORK, NY – With Valentine’s Day just under a week away, Elsevier’s Marketing Department is unleashing a new ad campaign targeting scientists to buy paywalled articles for their significant others. “Conventionally, the types of gifts given on Valentine’s Day are items that are ordinarily free or very inexpensive, like flowers, a massage, or a private dinner,” said Thomas Reller, Vice President of Global Corporate Relations at Elsevier. “Thus, we feel that the gift of access to a journal article fits in quite nicely with those traditional Valentine’s Day gifts.”

Reller said that Elsevier developed its ad campaign after market research discovered that the ideal Valentine’s Day date for a scientist involves dinner at home, preferably made with food purchased from a nearby farmer’s market, and curling up with a good journal article. “We haven’t figured out how to get scientists to pay us for food yet,” said Reller. “But, we sure do know how to get them to pay for research.”

The ad campaign involves a multi-prong strategy with commercials appearing on social media, radio programs, and magazine articles. For instance, Elsevier is expected to sponsor and promote a new hashtag on Twitter: #ucanhazpdfforakissand$40.

Additionally, Elsevier will be airing several radio commercials. In one spot, entitled ‘Literature Ex-cited’, a sexy voice offers advice on the perfect gift for your scientist: “She already has nice jewelry. She already has a comfy bathrobe. But do you know what she doesn’t have? Wylam et al.’s 2013 article on fatal hyperammonaemia.”

According to Reller, most of the radio ad spots will run on NPR, as that is the only radio station that scientist listen to.

 

More Articles Below!