See What Print Ads Worked Best

Over the years, Starch has found that although ads with black backgrounds are not common, a disproportionately high number of such ads almost invariably end up on our top-ten lists of the highest scoring ads. Black backgrounds lend a kind of three-dimensional effect to an ad, particularly if the image in the foreground is colorful and contrasts sharply with the background. In such cases the image practically pops off the page. For Sony, the black background enhances both the television set and the image within it. In addition, many advertisers have feared that magazine readers tend to shun reverse print. The Sony ad should help quell that fear.