Not everything is what it seems - advertising in disguise

Between display advertising and PR  is a shadowy place occupied by paid for content in disguise.

What's that all about then? In a simpler world advertising is clearly identifiable in no small part because the advertiser wants the message to stand out from the surrounding editorial content. The space is paid for and consumers of the media whether it be in print, television or online recognise and can distinguish the advertising slot and that this is someone selling stuff and presenting the content to their best advantage.

PR works on the premise of persuading the editor that the story being pitched is of interest to the readership because it is news and relevant. Getting a story published within the editorial pages benefits the manufacturer whose products are featured with the apparent independent endorsement of a trusted publication. In b-2-b typically we are talking about printed media which is a mixture of editorial content and various forms of advertising i.e. content approved by the editor and advertising placed by the Advertising  Manager. The latter not deemed to influence the editorial in any way.

However, because of the value of what is perceived as independent endorsement conferred by appearing on editorial pages 'advertorial' content has for many years proved attractive to camouflage advertising as news. Some journals actually mark such pages as 'Advertising Feature' but by matching layout, font and editorial house style, many readers will accept advertorial as being part of the editorial content and therefore unbiased. Particularly in the online world this has evolved into 'native advertising' which Wikipedia describes as where "the advertiser attempts to gain attention by providing content in the context of the user's experience. Native ad formats match both the form and function of the user experience in which they are placed." Because it is not a banner ad, appears less intrusive than advertising it is argued people are more likely to click on the link. It is referred to as native advertising because it looks like the other native content and importantly in the style and format the reader is expecting to see for the particular media.