When something is lost, one hopes it will be found by someone and returned to the owner. But to make this possible, the simple way is to place a Lost and Found Advertisement in the most appropriate newspaper. Lost and found ads in newspapers are a sort of public notice ads which placed in a newspaper to draw the general public’s attention of that some possession of someone has been misplaced. This is a practice as old as newspaper ads and is still followed considering how trustworthy newspapers are as an advertising platform.

However, it is not just any newspaper anywhere. So, if the item was lost by a resident of, say, Bengaluru, while travelling in Mumbai, the advertisement should ideally be placed in a Mumbai newspaper. Depending on the value of the lost item, the ad can be places in more than newspaper, especially considering that there are many vernacular language newspapers published in the city – Marathi, Gujarati, Hindi, Urdu and even Kannada.

The above procedure is to be followed when the intension is only to retrieve something that is lost from some other source. In such cases, the lost and found advertisement is placed as a mere legal formality in order to get a replacement of, usually, documents like passports, mark sheets certificates, and other documents, which need to be legally retained for reference in future.

Yet another kind of loss is for precious possessions especially pets like high-breed dogs, cats and even horses. Normally, for such losses, a reward is also offered.

In all cases being advertised, before placing the advertisement a first information report (FIR) from the appropriate police station is essential, failing which the newspaper/s concerned will refuse to publish the lost and found ad. Alternatively, an affidavit obtained from a notary public will also suffice.

Whatever the reason for placing the lost and found ad, what is important is that the ad contains all relevant details accurately as well as with your contact information.

For professional guidance you can contact myadvtcorner.com the online arm of an INS-accredited, full-service advertising agency.