Discussion: Do you agree or disagree with is statement?
Magazines Face Pressure to Blend Advertising with Content
As it becomes increasingly difficult to reach consumers with traditional advertising messages, many marketers have been turning to alternative ways to promote their products and services. Product placement is very common in movies and TV shows and brands have passed slowly through video games, webs sites, and even the plots of novels. And now marketers are attempting to mix ad messages and content in magazine in various ways such as running ads next to magazine stories about the same type of product or service, getting products mentioned in stories, creating contest linked to magazines, and running ads that look like magazine layout.
The marketers argue that they are trying to break through the clutter and come up with more creative media solutions as they are doing in other media. However, critics argue that they are threatening one of the most important assets of a magazine---its relationship with readers.
The pressure on magazines to respond to the demands of marketers to allow a mix of advertising with content is getting greater, particularly since some publications are facing decline in circulation and advertising pages. Magazines are facing strong competition.