The hardtracking staff has a cliporama piling up, so we’re passing it on to you.

 

Who’s Behind the Sponsored Content at BuzzFeed, Gawker, Hearst and WashPo?

Lede:

What good is native advertising if it doesn’t talk like a native?

To help advertisers, media companies are building teams, often called studios, that create sponsored content for advertisers. Here’s a look at four publishers, and how their sponsored-content teams shape up.

And . . . see headline above.

 

BuzzFeed On Native Ads: Use Agency Model

Nut graf:

David Spiegel, BuzzFeed’s executive director of social publishing, told attendees at the Online Association’s annual conference on Friday that publications wading into the native advertising waters should follow an agency model when working with clients, Spiegel says. “It’s a collaboration process” with the brands, he notes, and brands usually approach BuzzFeed with an overall marketing objective.

The trend, unfortunately, is not restricted to the publishers above.

 

Like it? Social ads turn users into unwitting endorsers

Nut graf:

Any time someone “likes” or links to a product on Facebook, there’s a chance Facebook will put that person’s name and face in an ad endorsing the product.

More of these ads are flooding the Web as companies look to exploit what has long been so effective in the offline world: a personal recommendation from a friend.

And here comes another mainstream media organization looking to exploit what is now so effective in the online world.

 

Associated Press Is the Latest News Organization to Try Sponsored Content

Lede:

The Associated Press is planning to introduce sponsored articles into the stream of news stories on its mobile apps and hosted websites. The rollout is expected in early 2014, with potential sponsorship deals centered around major events the AP is planning to cover, such as the Super Bowl, the Winter Olympics and the Academy Awards . . .

The move to sponsored content is part of a broader effort to open a new line of revenue at the AP, where just 2% of total revenue comes from advertising, including mobile banner ads and units across a handful of websites populated with AP content. Another 13% of comes from services the AP offers media outlets. And 85% comes from licensing content to subscribers such as TV stations, newspapers and websites, where the AP is not hopeful about expanding income.

Sadly, this rush to stealth marketing doesn’t seem to be bothering much of anyone.

 

Google’s Endorsement Ads Get +1 From Agencies, Little Protest From Privacy Advocates

Lede:

Google turned off a number of people last Friday when the search giant announced plans to allow user names and profile photos appear within ads. But not advertisers.

“I don’t know that [brands will] be dying to be first to market [with the new ads], but we haven’t seen people be very hesitant about privacy concerns overall,” said Jason Tabeling, partner at Publicis-owned Rosetta. “Customers are getting aware of the fact that their data is being use to follow them around in some capacity.”

And, says former FTC Chairman Jon Leibowitz, don’t worry about the federal government breaking up the party.

 

Ex-FTC Chairman: Don’t Fear Regulators For Native Ads

Nut graf:

[T]he blurring line between editorial and advertising — native ads’ secret sauce — has raised concerns that consumers are being duped. That in turn has caught the eye of the U.S. government. In December, the Federal Trade Commission will hold a “native advertising” workshop, the first time it will officially discuss the practice. The FTC has the power to bring lawsuits in the name of protecting consumers.

Leibowitz says don’t worry. “The FTC is not going to engage in rulemaking.”

But the ad industry might.

 

Ad-Sponsored Editorial Content Draws Regulator’s Notice

Lede:

THE practice of native advertising, or the use of editorial content for promotional or marketing purposes, is beginning to capture the attention of advertising regulators who are concerned that some content could be considered deceptive to consumers.

The National Advertising Division, an investigative unit of the Advertising Self-Regulatory Council, administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus, has issued two rulings on the practice in the last two months, one in favor of how an advertiser used editorial content for promotional purposes and one that required an advertiser to modify its practices.

Well, the Lord loves an optimist, yes?

John R. Carroll is media analyst for NPR's Here & Now and senior news analyst for WBUR in Boston. He also writes at Campaign Outsider and It's Good to Live in a Two-Daily Town.
John R. Carroll has 305 post(s) on Sneak Adtack