So it comes down to this. Advertising on the front page, top of the fold. It’s been on the bottom of the front page for awhile now, but the inky real estate at the top has now been invaded. I didn’t think newspapers would stoop to that level to make a buck, but in Arizona, they have. Today’s edition of the Arizona Republic, owned by Gannett Newspapers, ran an ad for a pay-day loan company right where you’d expect the day’s most important news. Right under the masthead, left side. A pay-day loan company! The nerve! I stared in amazement and then tried to peel it off, thinking it was one of the pesky sticker ads that plagues the paper almost daily. But no, it couldn’t be lifted; it was printed on newsprint in bright red ink.
For an already tattered industry, this ad was symbolic in many ways. For one, it not only showed that Gannett will run anything, anywhere, for a price (and likely a very high one), but it confirmed that the “you can’t buy the front page” adage is no longer true. Think about it like this. If your client or company is being barraged in the press for bad luck, unethical acts or other wrongdoings, you now can buy the front page corner section and attempt to counteract the damage being done elsewhere in the paper. Or if you’re struggling to get the attention of the paper for a good news story and you’ve got the budget to support it, buy an ad and tease the story there. Either way, you’re capturing the reader before he even opens the paper.
I suppose it was only a matter of time before this happened. Newspapers are struggling to stay relevant in an age of real-time quick hit news on the Internet. And so are TV stations. I heard just the other day that a local network affiliate in Phoenix is selling segments on the evening news. They’re not called out as advertising, nor are they identified with “this news brought to you by Acme Widgets.” They’re segments that are included in the evening news reel and to the common viewer could be perceived as real news. I have a problem with that. Just as I’m not a fan of selling the front page. In this world of instantaneous news, micro-dissecting audiences and hitting them with paid messaging where ever they are, we need to know what’s authentic journalism and what’s marketing. This could very well cement my place in the old school category of PR, but I’m happy to reside there for the time being. I’m all for progress and a huge proponent of the Internet, social media and guerrilla marketing. I just think some things should stay pure. The top of the fold is one of them.
