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Advert ‘Oreal!
Dr. Tejas Bhat, PGP 2009
It took me a whole 2 page article in a reputed magazine to realize that I was actually readinga cosmetically modified version of the good old advertisement for a car manufacturer. Turnsout, advertorials are a rage this season and more and more publishing houses are resortingto them to bring in the extra moolah. For the uninitiated, making an advertorial is reallysimple. Take a fresh advertisement, peel it thoroughly of all catchy phrases, add two cupfulof words, a couple of matter-offact pictures and an “article-type” heading. Add a pinch of positive statistics, and Voila! You have got an advertorial! If this was a touch too dramaticfor your tastes, an advertorial, in simple terms is an advertisement designed to look like aneditorial or a news/magazine article. These are less obvious, but highly effective form of advertising, with quite a few companies paying big bucks to place their advertorials inreputed publications.
 
 Advertorials allows the advertiser to tailor their message to the magazine in which theyappear. This allows them to blend in seamlessly into the magazine content and thus achievea perceived endorsement from the magazine. Unlike traditional advertisements, they arenot designed to hard-sell brands. These days, they make advertorials so well, you can’t tellan advertorial from the editorial! The purpose of an advertorial must not be to fool thereader into believing that they are editorials. For, if the reader finds out the truth, he might not take kindly to the fact that he was being taken for a ride! The essence is to communicate
 
to him that it is an advertiser placed content which offers extra value as compared to aregular ad in terms of entertainment or information. As the fast dissemination of theinternet is redefining advertising strategies, websites and blogs are jumping into theadvertorial bandwagon too. In short, the best thing about an advertorial is its believability.Advertorials can come in various shapes and sizes.They can vary from a very no nonsense kind of advertorial, such as those in journalstargeting doctors, to a glossy spread in a men’s magazine complete with fashion photoshoots. In its July 2003 issue, Maxim men's magazine, well known for its obsession withjokes, booze and scantily dressed babes, brought together all three in a special sectioncalled ''Bite the Big Apple'' in which a boring business trip became something else once thesubjects of the story opened a few bottles of Miller Lite Beer. The section wasproduced by Maxim's editors.Advertorials generally work well for products and services where information sells betterthan images.
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