Advertorials 2.0: Transparency Is Key

The lines between "editorial" and "advertising" are blurrier than ever.

In the world of print journalism, a page or series of pages with content sponsored by a company, brand, country, or other marketer is an advertorial. In tiny letters at the top of the page, you'll see words alerting the reader that this is advertising.

In the digital world, this kind of content is commonplace but no standardized way of identifying or presenting it has yet emerged. 

Another digital form of advertorial emerged last year, when Forbes initiated its Forbes AdVoices program. Marketers are invited to sponsor content that will be posted on the mag's site under the sponsor's brand banner. The magazine's explanation reads, in part:

Marketers can now tell their own story in their words on the Forbes platform using the same tools as content creators. They can develop relationships with consumers, thought leaders and journalists, too. On the Forbes platform, all content is clearly labeled and transparent. Everyone knows who’s talking and the vantage point from which they speak.

Initially, some critics were concerned that the advertorial disclosure might not be clear enough. "Forbes' New Ad Pitch: Wanna buy a blog?" asked Crain's New York Business.

Fast-forward a year. One recent AdVoice entry sponsored by Merrill Lynch, for example, was about investing in gold. Another, sponsored by SAP, looked at applying "gamification" to business issues.

New Media Age recently observed that some sponsored content can be just as popular as--if not more popular than--editorial. In other words, if the content has value for readers, it's a win-win-win for the site, the readers, and the sponsor, as long as the sponsorship is transparent.