hr244210@ohio.edu
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My first instinct as a journalist is to smell the stink of hidden advertising in "sponsored content." How can we remain independent and objective while inserting advertising right into our stories? However, I am also a consumer of journalistic content and know just how annoying banner ads are; particularly those that pop out right where you were just about to click or scroll. When I reconsider from the point of view of the reader, I agree that this type of advertising, provided that it is useful even when a person is not looking to buy, can be an effective way of advertising while remaining useful to the audience.
Betrayed?
The source which caught me the most off-guard when researching "sponsored content" and "native advertising" was BuzzFeed. One of my own personal favorites, BuzzFeed uses an attractive list format in a way that grabs the attention of today's busy reader. It features eye-catching titles and hilarious and interesting content which I get hooked on for hours. Embedded advertisements? I had never seen such a thing on my beloved BuzzFeed! But upon a further inspection, sure enough, some stories were "sponsored" by various companies.
But what does "sponsored" really mean?
Good question. In short, there are two answers: 1) it depends on the outlet 2) no one is really sure. Seem contradictory? Well that's where the journalism industry and advertising industry alike seem to be steeped in confusion. In a recent article called, "Storytelling ads may be journalism’s new peril," David Carr states, "Publishers might build a revenue ledge through innovation of the advertising format, but the confusion that makes it work often diminishes the host publication’s credibility." No one is quite sure what this new frontier will look like, or even if it is acceptable in the first place.
Where should we start?
Jeff Sonderman of Poynter leaves editorial staff with a simple piece of advice when considering publishing "sponsored content." Ask yourself: Would I consider running this content if it wasn't sponsored? Answering this question honestly can help an editor decide whether or not the content is independent of its advertisers and worthy of the cause of informing and entertaining the audience.
Check out what Teal Newland, VP of Brand Strategy at StumbleUpon, has to say about "native advertising" at the Mashable Media Summit 2012:
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