Does anyone read the DrudgeReport anymore? Apparently they do because Mediabistro’s FishbowlNY called our attention to an ad that appeared on the front page of Drudge Sunday, December 30. Viewing the screenshot FishbowlNY took you might ask “what ad?” Your query would make perfect sense since the ad looks exactly like an editorial entry.
The ad, promoting a Portfolio magazine article, does carry a disclaimer of sorts which reads, “Support The DrudgeReport; Visit Our Advertisers.” Nice, but the disclaimer doesn’t specifically point out the editorial just above it is, seemingly, a paid placement. Display ads have appeared before with the disclaimer but ads created to look exactly like an editorial piece begin to straddle the line (if there still is one) between advertising and editorial.
Some will note Adrants does a similar thing. Occasionally, a block of text will appear as the second story on the first page of the site. It carries a different background than editorial and carries the disclaimer “The above article is a paid advertisement or Adrants promotion.” Apart from one advertiser in 2007 which used the space briefly, the position has been used exclusively for unpaid in-house promotions and announcements.
Given the uproar that occurs over this line blurring stuff, we put it to you. Apart from Drudge blurring the line, does Adrants blur the line as well? We’re open to your opinions on both the Drudge ad and our own ad unit. So that you can see our ad in action, here’s a screen shot of the homepage with a promotional ad on it.
