Ads and fads: 30 years of magazine marketing.

• Author: Beck, Cathie

30 years of advertising, the life and lifeblood of ColoradoBiz Magazine, is a trip through time and media, almost a page-by-page transition from back-and-white television to the backlit -- "flash" -- infused color of ads delivered by the Internet.

And along the way, the magazine's advertising space has showcased some of the most recognized brands in Colorado business history.

From the Brown Palace to the Broadmoor, from the United Bank of Denver to its successor, Wells Fargo-Colorado, from the University of Phoenix to Colorado State University, advertisers in the magazine and in other Colorado ad venues have grown and changed with the advertising industry.

The Denver Merchandise Mart, for example, was a prominent advertiser in the 10-year anniversary issue of Colorado Business in 1983. That magazine was the predecessor of ColoradoBiz, which took its new name and underwent a redesign in 1999.

Today, the Merchandise Mart has changed its advertising focus completely sticking to a niche strategy focused on industry directories.

"We no longer spend any money on traditional (consumer or business-to-business) print advertising," said Randy Gaddis, director of sales for the 269,000 square feet of space the Mart rents to trade shows, conventions and meetings throughout the year.

"Print media hits too broad a range," Gaddis said. "We've learned that for the most part, the people reading the newspaper are not who we're looking for."

Terry Barnhart isn't surprised at Gaddis's "niche print" advertising strategy

For more than 30 years, Barnhart has worked in advertising and marketing, and he currently runs and owns Barnhart/CMI, a company he acquired seven years ago that offers marketing, advertising and interactive services to clients.

He says that print is still a powerful advertising tool.

"Print has a major impact," Barnhart said. "It is still the media that offers people the opportunity to tell more about products or services than does a broadcast format. In broadcast, you get 30 seconds or a minute, but in print, it's much more complete. People are hungry for information, and print gives them the opportunity to read more about products and services than they can often get in broadcast."

But Barnhart points out, too, that today's advertising climate can be far more complex than just 10 years ago, given the limitless number of venues available for delivering clients' messages. He also points out that effective advertising calls for paying attention...