As my role in this group project is PR (Branding and advertising) I decided a good way to start my research is looking into advertising. Within our magazine we have decided the adverts need to fit with the tone of voice and message we are putting across there for, for me to be able to make the right choices for our adverts ill need a in depth understanding of different adverts, structures, messages, types and brands.
Im first researching into advertorials. Below is my sketchbook with basic annotations on examples i found of different advertorials.
The definition of advertorials from the oxford english dictionary – A newspaper or magazine advertisement giving information about a product in the style of an editorial or objective journalistic article
https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/advertorial
To best advertorials are those that are an advertisement with the elements of editorial content. Brands will pay for their product or service to be advertised in a magazine as an advertorial so they can put their content and imagery into a publication but still make it look like a article. An advertorial needs to be something readers will pay attention to, so having the correct balance of promotional imaging and content is so important. A popular thing for brands to do is to sponsor a article about something that links with their message and place a banner at the top while also making sure they are mentioned within the content.
Article 1 is of online platform ‘The Onion’, its an article all about productivity and Starbucks have decided to sponsor this advert as they are known for their coffee, this having a link due to the connection people have between coffee and being productive and ready to work. Therefor through this article the brands logo pops up in banners and next to the titles. Its subtle advertisement but will catch attention of most readers as its a logo they are going to be aware of.
Article 2 is from ‘BuzzFeed’, an article about bands therefor Spotify is the sponsor. A brand that fits perfectly with the content and blends in, it makes the advert seem so natural. Again its a brand that is so recognisable to many but still creates promotion and use of their service. The logo is seen 4 times just through banners and pop ups along the side of the page.
An advertorial needs to link with the magazine and article, as readers are automatically going to trust the credibility of the product or service if its in a magazine they trust and are familiar with. Advertorial is all about the content and giving readers information and less about sales unlike a simple brand avert. The aim is to increase brand interactions and word of mouth advertising as content will strike discussions.
Advertorials change layout depending on the platform its on or what magazine its within. They will usually fit the same design as the rest of the magazine so its looks just like the other editorials and articles within the print, this meaning readers are more likely to take in the content and the message its putting across. Advertorials are more read then adverts as they are promoting and selling a product/service less obviously or indirectly.
