A short while back, i was invited to speak in Segi College regarding New Media.
One of the points i touched on during the forum was on why one should state ‘advertorial’ on a published piece that is paid for. Needless to say, you will most certainly find printed publications out there who do not comply to this. It will never be an issue that will be prevented completely because, hey, as long as the publishing company can afford to execute and print, the only factor it boils down to is ethics.
The same goes for bloggers, as it should.
It’s inevitable that blogs are fast becoming an advertising medium for clients, and some of the questions i’ve been asked constantly are “Do you have to put ‘advertorial’ there?” and “Why?”
No, i don’t *have* to. But why i do it is because i want my audience to discern the difference between a post i’m being paid to publish, and something i’m writing out of my own free time and will. As a result of the Journalism Values & Ethics in New Media Conference, a portion in their value of protocols is dedicated to commercial pressure – “The audience will be able to clearly distinguish between editorial content and advertising, including advertorials and other advertising models as they emerge.”
So it’s not so much the point that we, as bloggers, have to write it. I just think it’s something we should do because if you treasure your audience, as does your audience your word, then at the very least state if something’s there because you’re being paid for it. Do not mistake my words, for there are many advertorials whose brands i rave about because i memang adore them already, so that makes it easier.
Read more about the protocols *here*
gees.. not used to you sounding like such a smarty pants..
i was there during the forum..good one..i enjoyed it..
i still cant believe that dr.steven has a friendster account.
Agreed. And I’ve got to add that that’s a super valid point. As a reader, I like magazines who are honest enough to tell me which is an ad and which is their own unbiased opinion. I guess the wider your audience, the greater the responsibility.