NYTimes.com runs 'advertorial' on its front page

NYTimes.com recently ran an ad with a difference on its home page: a digital version of NYT's front page rolled over the screen, with a date from the year 2040 and a somewhat unusual headline, "President converses with dolphin, develops new environmental plan." According to Forbes.com, the NYT "is leading a charge among big newspapers and magazines to create gripping digital ads that interweave marketing images with editorial content and respected journalism brands."

The use of such advertisements creates debate over the normally definite line between editorial content and advertising. An Australian publication has managed to tread the line between the two by creating separate magazines of such 'advertorials' to avoid mixing it with their editorial content. Whilst newspapers need to innovate to continue to generate revenue, this mixture of editorial and advertising interspersed in the main product is a worrying grey area between the two.

Source: Forbes