Editorial proximity
Editorial content and advertising are becoming increasingly intertwined. Reading the SonntagsZeitung makes you realize once again just how close they’ve become.
Under the title "Intelligent Brownies", the current issue of the SonntagsZeitung "new smart devices" unveiled that fill needs "you didn't even know you had."
Good sounding yesterday's news
However, the two Symfonisk speakers from Ikea are no longer really new. They were launched in mid-2019 and caused a brief shake-up in the audio world: The market-leading company Sonos opened up its own multi-room system for cooperation with the world's leading furniture store.
As a result, there were suddenly inexpensive alternatives to the expensive original Sonos speakers. Not quite as nice* as the real ones, but half the price.
Chicken or egg
So now in March, Symfonisk are having a mini-revival in the SonntagsZeitung. The special feature is that a full-page Ikea ad for the product in question is displayed directly opposite the buying tip. The neutral reader is left guessing: Is there an ad because there is an editorial article? Or is there an editorial article because there is an ad? Chicken or egg.
By the way: The Symfonisk boxes sound really good. Not as good as the originals from Sonos, but almost. And various tests advise: Two Symfonisk boxes in stereo mode sound better than a single Sonos box. At the same price.
Maybe not the brightest form of native advertising. But smart nonetheless.
* subjective assessment
