I read several 'music magazines' and I don't recall seeing a PG Music ad in several years. I do occasionally see the ad for Norton Music ad-on styles. This ad is unchanged for maybe 20 years, but as small as it is, it works. It got me to call.
Perhaps this is what the OP saw?
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
just saw the ad in Electronic Musician...and I see what the OP means...the ad has a very dated look, especially compared to the more modern ads in the mag. but I guess I fail to see point of this thread.
if that ad is working for PG (or if they think it is) and they honestly do not see the difference between their ad and the ads around it (Focal, Novation, Spectrasonics, Glyph, Academy of Art University and Williams) I doubt any amount of forum conversation would change that!
I just hope they continue to do well enough to keep delivering updates to this amazing software!!
BTW, Electronic Musician is only $1.99/issue on my tablet so I subscribed tonight! Thanks Scott!
The ad is surprisingly bad. There’s way too much info. It doesn’t make you want to read it. It does the opposite.
It’s almost like looking at a page from a tech file. Let’s face it, no one wants to read a page from a tech manual unless you absolutely have to in order to find some info on how fix something.
The purpose of a one page ad is to get someone to check out your web site. Not try to tell them everything about your product.
PG should hire a professional music advertising company to redo the ads and the web site.
All the praise crowds out the most important info, namely, real instruments low price at entry, and 30 day fund return policy, as well as Realband being a DAW and included free of charge. Maybe just a colour change to highlight the important info and a subtle light blue or green for the unformatted comments. I wouldn't try to copy what is defined as good by the other guys otherwise you go under in the sameness. I wouldn't change the image too much either, maybe just replace the instruments with musicians playing them to emphasise the real tracks. All in all it aint that bad considering that retro is in at the moment. In the ever changing sofware world it's maybe a plus to be old fashioned. Let's face it, most advertising is crap these days so if you stand out by being good it's ok, and if you stand out by being bad, then that's also ok.
Just consider that Gibson haven't changed the ES335 or the Les Paul much and Martin still plugs the DH28 as the basis of their designs, so modern aint everything.
First of all I think OP's post was with good intention.
Second of all, I see Peter Gannon's post as polite, caring and appropriate.
Third of all I really think it comes down to a matter of taste.
Advertising is an art as well as a science, and even the best can't really tell you if an ad will pull or not. That's because different things appeal to different people.
If any one of us knows what will pull the best for any particular audience, he/she should go into the consulting business and make enough money to retire in a month or so.
Obviously, the original ad is to show that users love BIAB. I don't think there is much wrong with it -- but once you see other approaches, then maybe you say "it could be better".
Advertising is an art as well as a science, and even the best can't really tell you if an ad will pull or not. That's because different things appeal to different people.
"(Parenthesis) See Stan Freberg, Comedic Genius, Advertising Executive, Sadly Deceased (Close Parenthesis)".
(Only true fans will get the reference)
John
Laptop-HP Omen I7 Win11Pro 32GB 2x2TB, 1x4TB SSD Desktop-ASUS-I7 Win10Pro 32GB 2x1.5TB, 2x2TB, 1x4TB SATA
))) Obviously, the original ad is to show that users love BIAB.
Correct. It is intended as a simple ad, with a small message. The message is in the center, and it is the small paragraph that tells you what BiaB is. The other message is that customers love it, and it sounds like musicians.
People here who have commented that they thought they were supposed to read the entire background are a surprise to us. But it would be worth us redoing the colors and contrast of the various areas to clarify things.
))) All the praise crowds out the most important info, namely, real instruments low price at entry, and 30 day fund return policy, as well as Realband being a DAW and included free of charge. Maybe just a colour change to highlight the important info and a subtle light blue or green for the unformatted comments.
Good point. Thanks Chris. At previous times, we had a fainter background color, and that worked better. So we can change that.
The purpose of the background quotes are not to be read, but just to be background wallpaper. Lots of ads do that, including modern ones that have used top ad agencies.
Peter, since you are listening here I thought I'd toss out a few suggestions...
- use a word cloud instead of this very old technique of Pagemaker wrapping - never break lines of text across a large graphic in the middle of a page; wrap the text into columns instead - use a LOT more white space (I know we always love to fill our ads but usually less if better) - as you acknowledged, if you are using a ton of text as "wallpaper" then fade it way back - seriously consider upgrading your logo; I know you probably hate to hear it but it looks so very dated with the 3d text and clipart instruments
Overall the ad suffers from a very basic lack of "design" and it can be a challenge to nail down exactly what that means! But if you look at the ads around yours (Focal, Novation, Spectrasonics, Glyph, Academy of Art University and Williams) in just this one issue of Electronic Musician you will notice how much good solid "design" can improve an ad.
I can honestly say the software you have created is the most amazing program I have ever seen! That is not hype/fanboy talk...it is true! But I can also honestly tell you I was very reluctant to initially purchase it because of the impression I got from your marketing materials. The folks here on the forum finally convinced me to go ahead and buy it and now you have a customer for life! But I cannot help but wonder how many potential customers you are missing out on because they see your marketing and never bother to further qualify your products.
I know lots of people, especially hard-core fans, are quick to jump in and make excuses like "it is retro" and "if it ain't broke..." but if I was you I would have to seriously consider whether BIAB is successful because of your image or in spite of it!
Thanks for posting the link to the current ad. I don't read Electronic Musician. Their content has little value to me, as opposed to, say, Sound on Sound, and Recording.
And I did read every quote in that ad when I first saw it, if for no other reason than it includes a glowing comment from me: "Wow, this changes everything!". It's fun, sort of like a picture puzzle!
BIAB 2025 Win Audiophile. Software: Studio One 7 Pro, Swam horns, Acoustica-7, Notion 6, Song Master Pro, Win 11 Home. Hardware: Intel i9, 32 Gb; Roland Integra-7, Presonus 192 & Faderport 8, Royer 121, Adam Sub8 & Neumann 120 monitors.
Thanks for the helpful info and tips! Much appreciated.
Floyd, that ad looks great! Thanks
For logo redesign, yes I'm all for that, but don't have any leads on good logo designers. Of course we can begin to look for that but if anyone happens to have some leads for us, please let me know.
This is a little off-topic, but does fit in the "marketing" aspect to this thread.
One idea I was thinking of to help promote BiaB would be "video testimonials" that we could put on the main web page (and youtube of course). These could be from customers, who tell their own story of what they are doing in music generally, and how Band-in-a-Box and whatever other programs are helping them with that. It could also help the customer in getting promo for their own projects. Just an idea at this stage, and any feedback is appreciated.
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: VST3 Plugin Support
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac® now includes support for VST3 plugins, alongside VST and AU. Use them with MIDI or audio tracks for even more creative possibilities in your music production.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Macs®: VST3 Plugin Support
Video: Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac®: Using VST3 Plugins
With the release of Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac, we’re rolling out a collection of brand-new videos on our YouTube channel. We’ll also keep this forum post updated so you can easily find all the latest videos in one convenient spot.
From overviews of new features and walkthroughs of the 202 new RealTracks, to highlights of XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAKs 18, the 2025 49-PAK, and in-depth tutorials — you’ll find everything you need to explore what’s new in Band-in-a-Box® 2025.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac is here, packed with major new features and an incredible collection of available new content! This includes 202 RealTracks (in Sets 449-467), plus 20 bonus Unreleased RealTracks in the 2025 49-PAK. There are new RealStyles, MIDI SuperTracks, Instrumental Studies, “Songs with Vocals” Artist Performance Sets, Playable RealTracks Set 4, two new sets of “RealDrums Stems,” XPro Styles PAK 8, Xtra Styles PAK 19, and more!
Special Offers
Upgrade to Band-in-a-Box® 2025 for Mac with savings of up to 50% on most upgrade packages during our special—available until July 31, 2025! Visit our Band-in-a-Box® packages page for all the purchase options available.
2025 Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK Add-ons
We've packed our Free Bonus PAK & 49-PAK with some incredible Add-ons! The Free Bonus PAK is automatically included with most Band-in-a-Box® for Mac 2025 packages, but for even more Add-ons (including 20 Unreleased RealTracks!) upgrade to the 2025 49-PAK for only $49. You can see the full lists of items in each package, and listen to demos here.
If you have any questions, feel free to connect with us directly—we’re here to help!
Cari amici
È stata aggerate la versione in Italiano del programma più amato dagli appassionati di musica, il nostro Band-in-a-Box.
Questo è il link alla nuova versione 2025.
Di seguito i link per scaricare il pacchetti di lingua italiana aggiornati per Band-in-a-Box e RealBand, anche per chi avesse già comprato la nuova versione in inglese.
Band-in-a-Box® 2025 pour Windows est disponible en Français.
Le téléchargement se fait à partir du site PG Music
Pour ceux qui auraient déjà acheté la version 2025 de Band-in-a-Box (et qui donc ont une version anglaise), il est possible de "franciser" cette version avec les patchs suivants:
Band-in-a-Box 2025 für Windows Deutsch ist verfügbar!
Die deutsche Version Band-in-a-Box® 2025 für Windows ist ab sofort verfügbar!
Alle die bereits die englische Version von Band-in-a-Box und RealBand 2024 installiert haben, finden hier die Installationsdateien für das Sprachenupdate:
Update Your Band-in-a-Box® 2025 to Build 1128 for Windows Today!
Already using Band-in-a-Box 2025 for Windows®? Download Build 1128 now from our Support Page to enjoy the latest enhancements and improvements from our team.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you over the phone. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday, and 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST Saturday. We are closed Sunday. You can also send us your questions via email.
One of our representatives will be happy to help you on our Live Chat or by email. Our hours of operation are from
6:00AM to 6:00PM PST (GMT -8) Monday thru Friday; 8:00AM to 4:00PM PST (GMT -8) Saturday; Closed Sunday.
Norton Music
Dansk
Deutsch - Windows
Español
Français - Windows
Italiano - Windows
Nederlands
Polski
Português
Svenskt
русский
Japanese
Simplified Chinese
Traditional Chinese
Korean