Returning to basics, all advertisements must follow general AIDA principle. They must attract attention, generate and retain interest, create desire, and stimulate action.

But what will best achieve this objective: classified or display?

The answer depends on a number of things, not least of all an understanding of what these two methods involve, how they differ and what similarities, even overlap, might exist.

Classified advertising, sometimes called 'lineage', generally employs just words, without embellishment, other than perhaps a few words emboldened, and sometimes impact lines or boxes around advertisement. Where these minor forms of decoration are included, format is frequently referred to as 'semi-display'.

Display advertisements, on other hand, are designed to stand out from crowd, using a variety of techniques including: occupying a set position on page, taking up a specified amount of space, including graphics and illustrations, adopting a variety of fonts, and so on. The argument is that display advertisements are more noticeable, more profitable than their counterparts buried amongst countless others in classified columns. Hence far higher cost of display advertising.

The following main points will help you decide:

* Classified ads are usually cheap and are excellent for generating enquiries. Many successful classified advertisers use two-stage enquiry method, allowing customer to obtain further information before placing an order. A major benefit for dealers is chance to build a useful mailing list for future offers.

* Display advertising is best for selling straight from page. Readers are more likely to trust their money to someone who has paid for a larger advertisement than someone whose advertisement occupies a tiny space among so many competing entries. Classified advertising is rarely effective for selling off-the-page except for very low cost items, commonly Ј10 or less.

* Classified advertising can be used to test interest in your product before venturing into more costly display advertising.

* Classifieds can be used to test and compare advertising sources.

* Classified advertising is generally unsuitable for anything that requires a lot of 'telling' to accomplish task of selling. Too much grey matters in classifieds is boring and readers can easily lose interest halfway. If it can't be said in a few words, try display advertising.

* For classified advertisements, words themselves must do job of selling. Sometimes a maximum wordcount is set and every word must pay its way. Conversely, display advertising allows a variety of other techniques to be used to attract and retain reader interest. Based on what they say about a picture being worth ten thousand words, it follows that, if design, style or appearance of your product is important to potential customer, display advertising is usually best. If product markets well 'sight unseen', classified ads might be appropriate.

* Classified ads usually focus on a single offer. Display advertisements can include several products, or an invitation to send for further information, obtain a catalogue, send for samples, and so on.

First, too few of big merchants have understood power of marketing via RSS feed and affiliation. These sluggish retail giants, many with a long-standing presence on English high streets, are missed by those of us with neighbourhood corner shops. We want to pass business their way, for a small commission. So, take note please big merchants, costs of setting-up and maintaining RSS feeds, and paying us small commissions, are far outweighed by value of increased sales.

It seems that some of ‘giants’ have been caught off-guard by cost-effectiveness of this new technology and approach to marketing in combination. It’s simply a matter of them re-writing their product lists in XML and offering coded feeds to affiliate networks. When they do so, I suggest humbly that they seek out networks offering small shopkeepers like me an unlimited number of feeds at no cost, and that they avoid studiously any ‘exclusive’ deals.

Some merchants are quicker to exploit new technologies than others; that’s way markets work. The most agile survive: least agile suffer. This creates an opportunity for small and medium sized merchants who are inherently more agile than larger competitors. We English shopkeepers, need them to master RSS technology and affiliation quickly, to plug gaps in market left by big merchants.

Recently, for example, I’ve been hunting English merchants who can offer me affiliated RSS feeds for used and new cars. I have also been hunting similar merchants capable of offering me regularly updated RSS feeds for package holidays and real estate. Cars, package holidays and houses are just sort of products that would sell well in my shop, yet there are big gaps in market there right now.

To conclude, Napoleon was right: we English are a nation of shopkeepers. Many, like me, love our work. To continue tradition, what this particular English shopkeeper needs is two things. Additional, big merchants offering affiliated RSS feeds with broad appeal and smaller merchants offering narrower, deeper feeds that cater for niche interests.