Are you considering advertising in a magazines digital iPad edition?  If so, there is some new information that may prove beneficial.

Condé Nast, has stepped out as a leader in developing iPad versions of their magazines, which include The New Yorker, Wired, Glamour and GQ.  After months of tracking how readers are using their iPads and extensive research into what works and what doesn’t, some new findings and best practices for advertising within these iPad apps are beginning to emerge.

One significant piece of information Condé Nast found is that many people aren’t using their iPads as mobile devices, but instead as household devices.  From a publications standpoint, this means there are probably multiple readers per copy.  As an advertiser, this is great news because it means your ad is reaching more people.  However, it means that the device is not necessarily a true mobile device, so incorporating functions in the ads that are location-based may not be as important quite yet.

It was also found that the iPad was, for a lot of people, their first Apple device. This is very important for advertisers as they design and create ad content.  There are a large group of iPad users who are still becoming familiar with the swiping, pinching and zooming features.  Providing on-screen instructions and walking readers through the special functions in your ad will ensure that all the bells and whistles aren’t missed.  Make sure ad content is clearly visible and use arrows, callouts, etc. to call attention to interactive features.

In an effort to assist advertisers, Condé Nast used the research to put together some suggested best practices for advertising in magazine’s iPad editions.  Below is the list of five best practices provided:

1. Take advantage of the new platform’s functionality. Users liked ads better when they provided experiences that print could not, such as video, photo galleries and links to websites. One successful ad unit promoting a new TV series kicked off with video of the star addressing the magazine’s readers and naming the magazine.

2. Provide clear instructions. It might clutter up the page a bit, but it’s better than seeing consumers swipe past without even knowing about those extras you included.

3. Don’t repurpose your TV commercials or other materials you created for other media. Conde Nast had advertisers who just used a 30-second TV spot that had already been seen a lot of times.  Repurposing for no other purpose than that it was convenient didn’t work so well.

4. Tell a story. Consumers remembered the ads best when they contained narratives.  Some video was created that wouldn’t have been used for anything but the iPad.  It showed people how to use the product being advertised, an in-depth how-to.  It had a little story but it demonstrated something actually useful.

5. Help consumers move closer to buying. That could mean offering more information about product colors or sizes or it could go all the way to in-app purchasing. Offering a link and nothing else fares poorly in comparison.

As iPad usage continues to grow and more publications develop digital apps, we will begin to see more feedback from users that can be applied in developing ads, but these are definitely some helpful tips to keep in mind and a good first look at some general best practices.