Has it finally arrived, the post-advertising age? Advertising Age, nomen est omen, recently ran a story on the blurring line between commercial and editorial content, as media companies are facing a fiercely competitive marketplace amidst declining advertising budgets (according to the Newspaper Association of America, advertising revenue in 2008 decreased by 17%, to $38 billion) and the looming crisis of the news industry as a whole (see Clay Shirky’s seminal essay on "Newspapers and Thinking the Unthinkable").
As if to further prove the point, the Los Angeles Times carried a page one advertisement yesterday that craftily confused news and commercial messaging, and consequently sparked a public outcry. Obviously (but not too obviously) labeled as "advertisement" in the top line of the column, the ad for the new NBC cop show Southland simulated a mix of news story and critic's review, including a headline ("Southland's Rookie Hero") and the mentioning of a "reporter" following the story. The last paragraph of the story then disclosed the premiere of the TV series.
It is no coincidence that the controversial ad promoted content from yet another media company (NBC). Like newspapers, the big TV networks are struggling with retaining viewership and ad dollars, and are as forced to explore alternative promotional formats as newspapers are to push the boundaries of their genre.
(Credit: Post-Advertising Blog)
While you can argue whether the content of the NBC ad displayed poor taste, the placement of the ad definitely exceeded previous attempts to "package" commercial messages as editorial content. Driven by economic concerns, the New York Times recently sold the first ad in its history on the traditionally 'pure' front page of its print edition. And the Finnish Helsingin Sanomat even sold its entire front page to Apple for an iPhone ad. But at least these ads – however intrusive to the editorial integrity – were still clearly marked as ads. The L.A. Times coup is unprecedented: No other major news paper to date has ever run an ad in editorial disguise on its front page. Is it "innovative and breakthrough" as Adam Stotsky, president of NBC Entertainment marketing, claimed, or just deceptive and desperate?
In a story about the fake story, the L.A. Times quoted its own publisher Eddy Hartenstein, who decided to run the NBC ad despite newsroom objections: "Because of the times that we're in, we have to look at all sorts of different – and some would say innovative – new solutions for our advertising clients," he said. Like other newspapers, the Times laid off hundreds of employees to cope with shrinking revenue. L.A. Times owner Tribune Co. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in December.
The NBC ad in the Times is another example of 'fake authenticity,' and before you condemn the concept as unethical, ask yourself this: Isn't fake authenticity the main ingredient of every compelling story? What if storytelling (branded or not) is the actual domain of news outlets? The L.A. Times' experiment may appear a bit hapless, but it embraces a trend that seems irreversible. The Post-Advertising blog nails the growing sentiment among marketers and media folks: "Just as brands need to be publishers, so publishers need to be marketing agencies that can create opportunities for brands to tell their stories, as well as helping to craft the stories they tell. At a moment in history when ads are giving ground fast to immersive and informative experiences, publishers need to quit selling space and start selling their ability to help tell and host media experiences." And furthermore: "Traditional media need to transform themselves at least partly into content-based marketing services organizations. They need gradually to quit working with media buying and advertising agencies, which keep relegating them to their traditional roles." On the flip side, Allan Moore urges advertisers "to change the currency of advertising - from display, to something that is more like a service, that enables people. That is more relevant, more contextual, more life-enabling. That is where the money is."
While this sounds like a perfect marriage, advocates of traditional journalism will cry foul over any potential crossover. Yet even they will acknowledge that there are only few options left on the table for ailing newspapers as they have no choice but to change their business models:
The first one is the dog-pays-watchdog scenario – the 'socialization' of newspapers through funding from community trusts, citizens (Spot.Us), or government subsidies, in order to remain a strong independent press.
The second one is the aggressive advertising route a la the L.A. Times, further propelling a hybridization of editorial and commercial content ('edvertising' instead of advertising).
The third and opposite option banks on content and a hyper-customization of articles, ideally monetized through micro-payments (see TIME's Mine model or the Swiss 20 Minutes micro-newspaper for commuters).
A fourth model sees newspapers follow the maxim "If you cannot beat them, share with them." In a much discussed move, the Guardian recently announced its Open Platform initiative, allowing anyone to use Guardian content on their site or web service. The publication hopes to make money by requiring partners to carry its advertising as part of its terms and conditions. Instead of trying to charge users for content that can easily be duplicated for free anyway, the Guardian lets anyone duplicate and use its content, and then slaps ads on top of everything. Will it work? It's too soon to tell but at any rate it's a bold move. For TIME's Mine, the Guardian's Open Platform, and also the L.A. Times NBC ad, Albert Einstein's adage rings true: "Anyone who has never made a mistake has never tried anything new." And new it must be for newspapers if they want to survive.
The last and arguably most worrisome scenario for newspapers would be a combination of the previous three options, however no longer run by a media company but a trusted consumer or enterprise brand. Imagine the McKinsey Daily (focusing on business news), the Starbucks Times (community news), the Apple Tech Journal (technology and design), or the Nike Herald Tribune (lifestyle and fitness), produced by leading TV, digital, and film producers, staffed with the nation's best journalists, complemented by citizen journalists, and distributed via a rich social multi-media platform. Wouldn't you trust, follow, read them?
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