The Advertorial Adversary

When you are looking to advertise your company/product, what are you looking to do with the advertising? Are you attempting to convince… or confuse?

I find the current trend of major companies (particularly automotive) that regularly and heavy-handedly try to get magazines to run ad content within the context of an editorial totally sickening. I think the entire idea of trying to confuse your audience as to -why- something is being said is not only totally amoral, but counterproductive. When I’m misled into thinking I am reading an editorial, and find out I’m reading an advertisement, there is a part of me that is offended that they tried to ‘pull the wool over my eyes’.

~ by Skennedy on August 31, 2005.

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5 Responses to “The Advertorial Adversary”

  1. probably totally off topic….who knows. I’ve been watching more television lately than I ever did before in my life (moving to new area, relaxing before PhD program, etc etc) and there’s this snickerrs commercial where these hunters all throw snickers at a deer, and then the deer runs away and all the hunters sigh and there’s some voice that says something…anyway, I totally don’t get the commercial at all. Care to try to explain, or do you even know waht I’m talking about?

    fieldsofseaweed said this on August 31, 2005 at 5:32 pm

    • “It’s only satisfying if you eat it” is the tag line.

      I think the logic is supposed to be – it can’t do anything for you but taste good, so therefore, don’t try to hunt deer with it.

      Or Something. It’s a bit strange – but I find it easier to swallow than the general implication of “this candy bar will make you have lots of fun and be far more popular with the gender/race/species of your choosing.”

      Sorry – needed a break from work and saw your response.

      silver_bits said this on August 31, 2005 at 5:56 pm

      • ohhhh. I get that, I guess. sort of. I haven’t owned a television or paid a cable bill in over four years, so it was a little weird getting used to the commercials and all the crap. After I got over that, I realized that was all television has to offer. However, I haven’t called to have cable disconnected….hmm…

        fieldsofseaweed said this on August 31, 2005 at 11:43 pm

    • I haven’t seen it, I’m afraid. Skennedy doesn’t have TV, really, anymore.

      atdt1991 said this on August 31, 2005 at 6:00 pm

  2. yeah, i love flipping through newsweek when i see a section called “TechWatch” or something similiar, done up in the official magazine layout with a picture of the “reviewer” (stock photography image) and the tiny little word ‘advertisement’ at the top of the page

    even worse when the company inserts ads for its other products into its own ad, making it look like the ‘review’ is legitimate and seperate content

    coffeejedi said this on August 31, 2005 at 6:53 pm

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