# is it legal to slip a flyer into the magazines on the rack that have a common target market?



## amnesia (Oct 13, 2009)

i was planning on going to local bookstores in the area and slipping a flyer into the magazines on the rack that have a common target market. is this illegal?


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## jiarby (Feb 8, 2007)

probably considered trespassing by the establishment. kinda spammy too. If you want to advertise in a magazine you should contact the publisher and buy an ad.


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## charles95405 (Feb 1, 2007)

agree with Glenn...legality is questionable...as is ethics


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## vadan (Mar 9, 2010)

In the UK this is illegal and you could face prosecution!


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## Dennis Graves (Apr 27, 2009)

There is probably a sign that says "No Soliciting On The Premises", which is what you are doing.


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## etshirt (May 8, 2008)

I dont think is legal. You would have to ask the company that publish the magasine for permission.

My suggestion is to ask the store owner if you could put a stack of flyers on is counter for customer to take.

Greg


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## brice (Mar 10, 2010)

It's theft. The magazine makes a fortune selling space within it's pages, well a small fortune anyway, and you are using that space without license. How about I stick a big sign on your car or paint my logo on your garage... Perhaps sneal into your closet and screen print my logo onto all of your clothes... 

The store can't give you permission. The magazine won't unless you contact their advertising department, get the ad/art approved and PAY for the privilege.


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## Ethcs (Aug 4, 2009)

While this is most likely illegal in many countries it's also a pretty standard guerrilla marketing tactic. If you're concerned with the legality then I'd recommend not doing it & asking the store owner/manager if you can leave your marketing material at the counter. You might consider doing it at the library though?


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## SeasonEnds (Sep 9, 2007)

I will also add that your marketing attempts need to be measurable. So you need to find a way to measure the response above all else. I would venture to say your response will be minimal. I see this done frequently with those guys that are like "Hey check out my business. Grocerystore.com/vendor1254 buy your groceries from me and we will all make money somehow!" I guess if you have something truly interesting then it might work out.


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## ratdaddy (Sep 25, 2009)

Yep it's called Theft of services. The magazines sell a service of ad space. You slipping your ad into the magazines while imaginative is illegal.


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## EnMartian (Feb 14, 2008)

I can't speak to the legality, but it's certainly questionable ethically. I also don't see how it makes good sense from a marketing standpoint. The likelihood is that most people will simply throw the insert away without looking at it. Response rates for magazine ads that are carefully designed and positioned can often be just a small percentage of those who read the magazine. Given that, what chance is a random flier stuck in a magazine going to have? 

While I do believe guerrilla marketing can work in some cases, it still has to be targeted marketing. Kudos to you for targeting magazines that had a common audience, as that says you've given some thought to the group with which you want to communicate. What you need to do now is figure out the most effective way to get your message before that group. If you're looking for ways to communicate with a particular magazine's audience, look online. See if they have a Facebook or Twitter page and follow those who follow the magazine. Same audience, but a much more targeted and effective method.


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## red514 (Jul 21, 2009)

i agree with the other posters, it doesn't sound legal or ethical to me at all.

companies pay to have their ads in those magazines (this includes inserts)


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## AngrySpade (Feb 7, 2010)

That is probably not legal, like other said magazines make money with advertising.


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