flier Advertising medium that is usually a single, standard-size (8l/20 3 110) page printed on one or both sides with an advertising message; also, flyer. Fliers are most often used in direct-mail advertising and as handbills given to customers by local retailers. In direct mail, they often accompany a formal letter to expand information in the letter. For the local retailer, fliers offer market coverage at low cost with little waste and good flexibility.
A flyer (also spelled flier
[1] or called handbill) is a single page leaflet
advertising a
nightclub,
event,
service, or other
activity. Flyers are typically used by individuals or businesses to promote their products or services. Usually bought in batches of 5000 units and are a form of
mass marketing or small scale,
community communication.
Flyers are handed out on the
street (known as 'flyering'), posted on
bulletin boards, or given away at events.
Bulletin boards are found on
college campuses, in
cafes, community meeting houses,
laundromats and small markets.
Flyers, along with
postcards,
leaflets and small
posters, are vital and free forms of communication for people who want to engage the public but do not have the money or desire to take out classified
advertising in a local
newspaper. However, as marketing became more direct in the late 1980s and 1990's, flyers have evolved and currently there are many formats to be found. Some examples are:
A4 (
letterhead size)
A5 (half letterhead size)
DL (compslip size)
A6 (
postcard size)
CC (credit card size)
Cheap to produce, flyers are usually produced in 300gsm glossy card (whereas a leaflet is produced on a 130gsm/170gsm weight paper) and are a very effective form of direct marketing.
Their widespread use intensified with the spread of
desktop publishing systems. In recent years, the production of flyers through traditional printing services has been supplanted by
Internet services; customers may send designs and receive final products by mail. Flyers range in tone from humorous to irreverent or absurd.
The
Craigslist website is a web-based system that mirrors the sort of community communication that occurs via flyering and bulletin boards.
Recently,
flyposting (pasting flyers to walls) has been banned in many places, causing concern among media activists and ordinary citizens. However, citizens concerned with the appearance of urban neighborhoods support the ban.
San Francisco has a long history of flyering. The first flyer company was
The Thumbtack Bugle which has been around for over twenty five years.
Haight Street is very popular for postering on
telephone poles.
Flyers have become an integral aspect to the
Edinburgh Fringe, where flyers are handed to people on the
Royal Mile.
Brighton, in England, has recently outlawed 'flyering' - making it necessary to acquire a license from the local council if a person or organisation wishes to distribute flyers.
[
edit] References
^ Although not in common usage, the
AP Stylebook recommends "flier" as the appropriate term for a handbill.
