The world of advertising is in high demand. However, this does not mean that all advertising space is purchased in time for print or publication. It is often that a media company has blank spaces because they were unable to sell the space. This is where a company can find great deals with discounted media space. Another term for discounted media space is remainder advertising, or remnant advertising. It is the last portion of space that a media company will sell at a very small price in order to fill the gaps.

Depending on the type of marketing medium, the discounted media space could be an ad printing space, or a time slot. Usually, it is offered at a very steep discount, and usually at a last minute occurrence. Advertising space is very valuable, and if it is not sold, then it is lost and used for a “hosted” or “housed” advertisement. Other times, it will be given away to be used as public service announcements or another type of non-revenue producing publications. This is why media companies are so urgent to fill the space with real company advertisements, so that they can make a profit from the small space.

Businesses or companies that are interested in purchasing discounted media space have to be willing to compromise with the media company in order to use their ad. They must also be able to compete with the larger companies and their advertisements. This is due to the fact that the discounted media space is a last minute offer, and many media companies would rather offer the spot to their larger advertisers whom they would make larger revenue off of. Newer companies that want to take advantage of discounted media space should have a portion of their budget put aside, as well as a valuable ad ready to go when the media company has a last minute opening.

The following are different types of marketing media and the situations of discounted media space that is offered:

Newspapers
Newspapers are usually published on a daily basis, and have a set format. Therefore, there are usually plenty of remnant advertising space openings. One successful factor with newspaper advertisements is that no matter how small the advertisement is, readers will see it. These smaller ad spaces are also the areas of the paper that the publisher has to fill. Therefore, you will need to be ready to accept a fairly small offer.

Magazines
According to marketing experts, the greatest discounted media space is within national magazines. Most magazines will fail to sell all of their advertising space, meaning that their unsold inventory space will be a great opportunity for companies. Also, smaller magazines will offer remnant advertising as a way to boost their revenue and publicity.

Radio
Unlike printed publishing, radio has a fixed number of spots within the hour that has to be filled. Therefore, advertisers have a much better chance of receiving a discounted media space rate. These discounts can range from 25% to 75% off of the regular retail price.

Outdoor
When driving down the highway, you have probably seen billboards that are blank. Many times, these blank spots are being sold as a discounted media space. The billboard is usually in a location that is not a prime spot for a poster or billboard, meaning that the media company is probably eager to give a discount.

If you are seeking remnant advertising slots or discounted media space, now is the time to look. Technology is booming and it is only a matter of time before publishers become more advanced. If you are a smaller company, start small. This is the best way to build up your company name and get a feel for the advertisement world. Eventually, you can settle into a remnant location with larger advertisers.