Advertorials: A sound business and PR Tactic?

By Ozzie Godinez

Advertorials. You’ve probably read them in magazines and newspapers several times; they are advertisements that are designed to look like an article within the publication. Though advertorials can increase awareness of a certain product or even an issue, they can decrease transparency and thus trust in the promoted brand when consumers realize that they’re reading an article written by the brand, not the authors of the publication. So, are advertorials still a sound business and public relations tactic?

So what exactly is an advertorial? Essentially, it’s what the term itself suggests: a paid advertisement with content in the style of an opinionated editorial, but written by the paying brand. The goal is to present an advertorial so that it reads and looks just as an authentic opinionated editorial right down from the style of writing to the layout; this  is designed so readers stop to read it instead of thumbing right by it as many readers tend to do when they see an advertisement. Each newspaper or magazine has its individual policies that require certain distinctions made so that the reader knows the advertorial is a paid form of advertisement. The most common distinction is a banner on the top and/or bottom that with the words, “Advertisement” printed. But does this banner really make a difference? Can readers tell the difference?

Today’s reader is none-too-happy when they get duped by advertorials. Back in 2010, the L.A Times ran an advertorial that caused an uproar. It consisted of a four-page ad for Universal Studios where a series of stories were published to promote the new King Kong attraction at the theme park. Headlines such as, “Universal Studios Hollywood Partially Destroyed” along with photos showing the alleged wreckage caused by the ape made the stories so believable that the red letters stating it was an advertisement went unnoticed. In fact, former L.A Times editor and recognized journalist, T.L Caswell, was among those that believed the advertorial was real saying, “the 13 letters were so visually overwhelmed by the largeness of the other page elements that they did not stand out even though they were printed in red.”

This incident brought back the ethical question of using an advertorial to achieve a brand’s goal. Are such tactics deceiving audiences? While earned media is preferred over paid media, what are brands to do when they want to get their message out but hit roadblocks?

Opting for the ol’ fashion pitch to the editor is always the first way to try, though it may not guarantee coverage. For instance, if you have a food, medical or cosmetic product, it might be difficult to attain editorial mention for it. These products may require more information on how to use or specific information that may not fit in the editorial column. Or, the publications the brand want space in may simply not be interested in the story. In these cases, purchasing ad space for an advertorial seems like a good option to brands.

An advertorial can become a very useful means of communication for your product, but the risk of ruffling the feathers of readers lies quietly beneath the hidden disclosure. Up to this day, people still have a hard time distinguishing between advertorials and regular editorials, so many brands continue to publish them.  Yet, the confusion can be dangerous among those who may not be fluent in English or are still developing their English. As Lynette Whiley, managing director of client leadership at Mindshare pointed out, your advertorial might reach audiences who may not understand English very well, such as children. They might run across the advertorial and not understand it’s an advertisement and take the message seriously.

How do you feel about these types of ads? Do brands that use advertorials negatively change your opinion about the brand or product? Let us know below!