Like a kid grabbing a cookie not realizing the sugar is bad for her, the once-mighty Los Angeles Times has run a front-page advertorial article that reads like real police blotter copy. To wit:
"It's not every assignment that puts you in the back of a squad car, especially one that gives you a true glimpse into the hearts of the heroes behind the badge. This is the story of one such day when this reporter got a chance to ..."
... what? Investigate cops in a squad car? Cool, sounds like LAT is winding up for a Pulitzer.
Alas, it's an ad, and even with the clarifying logo at top, if we had an IQ below 100 we'd be tempted to think this is real news. We checked in with the American Society of Magazine Editors to see how the higher-brow glossy set manages advertorial copy, and they have strict guidelines: "For magazines to be trusted by consumers and to endure as brands, readers must be assured of their editorial integrity... advertisements should look different enough from editorial pages that readers can tell the difference."
And that's the rub. Whether newspaper or magazine, confusing the boundaries between ads and editorial helps no one in the long term. Misled readers tend to move away to resources they can trust. Nicely played, NBC. We pity all the advertisers riding in the response rate cars that follow you. Via Make the Logo Bigger.
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