From the editorial office to the agency: How Swiss media produce native advertising
Sponsored content and native advertising are demonstrably changing the structures, processes, and roles within Swiss media companies. The findings of a master’s thesis at the University of Leipzig clearly illustrate this.
Swiss media are facing major challenges. Falling sales figures on the reader market and lower revenues on the advertising market are calling into question both sources of income for traditional media companies. The resulting economic pressure is leading to a search for new advertising formats such as native advertising and sponsored content. Advertising customers are expected to pay to sponsor content that appears to be editorial.
There is a lot of discussion about sponsored content. The focus is mostly on ethical issues such as the separation of advertising and content and the influence of advertisers on journalistic topics. However, it is clear that sponsored content has arrived in Switzerland. All major Swiss media companies have been offering such services since 2016.
The master's thesis that has now been published deals with the implementation of sponsored content. What structures have media companies set up for this, who actually writes the sponsored content and what does the influence of advertising clients on editorial content mean for the role of journalists involved?
To answer these questions, four Swiss media companies - Tamedia, Ringier, Watson and Vice - were analyzed. In a guided interview, those responsible for sponsored content campaigns and the authors of the sponsored content provided information about the structure, processes and roles in their company.
The results speak for themselves. New structures similar to those of advertising agencies have been established in all the media companies surveyed. The familiar two-part structure with editorial office and publishing house is developing into a three-part structure with editorial office, publishing house and agency in the same company, which makes independent journalism more difficult or even impossible.
Although most journalists are not directly affected by sponsored content, the journalistic profession is being modified, in some cases contrary to the guidelines of the Swiss Press Council. The influence of advertisers on media production is unmistakable. In the absence of uniform standards and guidelines, sponsored content jeopardizes transparency and credibility in journalism.
The complete master's thesis is available from the author Beat Krapf at Beatkrapf.ch/sponsored-content available.
