To the point: Caution black ice
Advertising should be funny and clever, but it also has to stand out. As a result, advertisers and agencies have always tried to blur the lines between editorial content and advertising. They believe that this can increase either credibility or attention—or, ideally, both. Depending on how subtle the approach is, this strategy can be promising. But if it’s too obvious, consumers will see right through it.
A code of conduct for journalists and the media was introduced a few years ago to prevent certain of these practices. The purpose of this was to ensure that it is always clear to media consumers which content is the responsibility of editors and which is commercially influenced, i.e. paid for by third parties. Since the introduction of the Code of Conduct, you can therefore read at the end of a car test (or at least you should!) that the new Supersport XL was driven during a press trip in Andalusia. Or that the stay in a 6-star hotel in Dubai was made possible by the travel agency Travel. An advertisement on an editorial page should be labeled "advertisement" and publicity reports must be declared as such. That's a good thing.
But it's not that simple. Migros has now come up with a funny and cheeky idea. "Anita Weyermann triplets!" This was the headline on the front page of Blick last Saturday. The Blick journos illustrated the lead story about the former top runner with a smiling Weyermann - and a Migros receipt. It reads: "3× wooden rattle, 3× xylophone, 1× earplugs". An allusion to the Weyermann headline. Then on Monday, the cover of Schweizer Illustrierte with Franco Knie: "Farewell to the circus". And another Migros receipt: "Farewell card, envelope, bouquet of flowers, handkerchief". Once again, an allusion to the Franco Knie headline. In both cases there was nothing about "advertisement", but the sender Migros was clearly recognizable and in my opinion the labeling was therefore not a problem. Or was it?
I spoke to a few people about it. Some found the idea charming and funny (not just advertisers and ad salespeople), some didn't understand what the receipt was all about (okay, there are idiots everywhere) and some (not just journalists) found it an unacceptable mix of editorial and advertising. I myself find the story funny, but at the same time dangerous, because it sends the wrong message and new desires are awakened. The idea works for Blick and SI and doesn't bother them, but it doesn't work for all media. And: not all brands have the likeability bonus of Migros and unfortunately not every advertisement is funny.
Pierre C. Meier, Editor-in-Chief [email protected]
