I read Amish publications the way some people watch the Super Bowl. In other words, I’m there for the ads more than the articles. When I pick up an Amish newspaper, I love learning what Plain America is buying and selling.
Amish pump out a wide range of monthly, bi-weekly, and weekly periodicals. Some share community news. Others convey spiritual lessons. A certain swathe are primarily ad papers, with a few articles, jokes, and news bits tucked in between the sales spots. With no internet, the printed word thrives in Amish society, their publications a combination of communication device, teaching tool, and sales medium.
The ads in Amish papers give you a fascinating look at Plain interests and concerns. In one biweekly publication, cow-health company “Udder Comfort” reminds readers that “Quality Udders Make Quality Milk.” Amish vacationers are enticed by a tour company promoting a “Fall Color Tour” in New England. And if I’m feeling out of sorts I can try something called “Spinal Decompression Therapy” (at a four-figure price tag).
Amish advertisements open a window onto the needs and preferences of this niche market. If I knew nothing about the Amish, I could safely draw a few conclusions by just a little basic analysis of the ads they’re viewing. I’d be able to ascertain that Amish care deeply about health—both their own and that of the animals they depend on. Leisure, perhaps surprisingly, factors in too—as seen in an ad for the cookout beanbag game Cornhole or one inviting horseback riders to an annual meet-up. I’d learn that Amish love buying things in less conventional ways–evidenced by the chunky “auctions” section–and that they like spending to help others, based on the “benefits” listings, which include charity suppers and even a volleyball tournament on behalf of an injured church member.
If I wanted to craft and/or sell a product to the Amish, I could learn a lot about what might work, just by picking up a few of their periodicals. Are you doing the same in your market–or one you’d like to be in?
Erik Wesner is the author of Success Made Simple: An Inside Look at Why Amish Businesses Thrive, and writes on all things Amish at amishamerica.com.