Annals of "flapvertising": Sharp magazine sells ad window in its logo

According to a story in Masthead, Sharp magazine has made a deal with the ad agency of automaker BMW to die-cut two separate flaps in its front cover, including one that alters the name of the magazine to become part of an inside front cover ad. Noah Vardon, strategy manager at Media Experts who worked with Contempo Media [publishers of Sharp] on the execution, explained BMW, the creative agency

Tar-sands advertorial in Alternatives Journal: Is it dialogue? or is it blurring the lines?

Recent issues of Alternatives Journal, the Waterloo-based environmental magazine, have contained the unusual and, frankly, unexpected: two-page spread advertorials for Suncor Energy.Readers and contributors have apparently been weighing in on the appropriateness of this and it is commented upon in the September/October issue in both the editor's letter and in a feature by Stephen Bocking, a

When does an editor's involvement with advertisers' products cross the line?

Don't compromise yourself. You are all you've got. -- Janis JoplinAt the recent MagNet conference I heard some examples of where editors involved themselves deeply in the advertising sales and promotional activities of their publications. In one instance, three editors in one company permitted their own kitchens to be photographed for a special section, with all the appliances on countertops

ASME unveils augmented guidelines about magazine websites

The American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) has unveiled new guidelines about magazine websites, augmenting its longstanding print guidelines for publishers and editors. According to a story in Adweek, the new guidelines have the same spirit as print, but deal with specific areas of concern such as product placement, paid links and interruptive advertising. The revised print guidelines were

New ad-edit guidelines released by American Society of Magazine Editors

On the heels of the release of revised Canadian ad-edit guidelines, the American Society of Magazine Editors (ASME) have released theirs, the first revisions in 5 years. In both cases, the revisions were an attempt to reflect the prevailing realities and to drive in some stakes to protect valued ground.New language in the guidelines refers to false covers, cover flaps, use of logos, labelling, 

New, revised Canadian advertising-editorial guidelines released

The revised Canadian Magazine Industry Advertising-Editorial Guidelines have now been  released and will be discussed in a podcast by the co-chair of the task force that revised them, Patrick Walsh, the editor of Outdoor Canada.This is the latest revision of the guidelines that are intended to help editors, publishers and advertisers maintain a standard for distinguishing between editorial and

Cottage Life goes with a flapvertisement

The summer issue of Cottage Life magazine features a "peel and reveal" cover which, when so peeled, features an ad for Corona beer. According to the blog Cover Sell, quoting an unattributed staffer: “This was an idea that our sales team presented to the client about a year ago. It was expensive to produce, and required five additional days to print, glue and die cut. This is a first for Cottage

Magazine Industry ad:edit guidelines to be reviewed and revised. Have your say

Magazines Canada is managing a process this summer to update the industry's advertising:editorial guidelines, last revised in 2006. A task force has been created with a dozen representatives of both consumer and b2b publications. The co-chairs are Patrick Walsh, the editor of Outdoor Canada, and Todd Latham, the publisher of ReNew Canada. The Canadian Magazine Industry Advertising-Editorial

Page number "takeovers" latest trend in encroachment into edit space

 The creep of ads into previously well-defined editorial spaces of magazines continues; this time in the June issue of Condé Nast’s Bon Appétit, Kraft Philadelphia Cream Cheese is running a series of page number “takeovers.” According to a story in Mediaweek, the fractional ads, which are labeled as such, appear in the corners of 10 pages.“The goal was to communicate the message of alternative

Canadian House & Home does a flip book to promote a line of cleaning products

Just what the heck is "sponsored editorial integration"? Apparently this is the description Canadian House & Home magazine uses for a "flip book" promotion whereby its back page  becomes an upside-down alternate cover for a multi-page special section promoting Procter & Gamble cleaning products. It's called Clean Style and features publisher Lynda Reeves prominently. This is complemented by a

Strategy magazine publishes first "augmented reality" cover

Strategy magazine is publishing Canada's first "augmented reality" cover on its November 2009 issue. It was created by Secret Location, a Toronto-based agency, and has an image on the cover that, when held up to a webcam, triggers three images of winners in this year's Agency of the Year awards.(Even if you don't have a copy of the magazine handy, you can download the printable icon in pdf form.)

Distinctions between ad and edit are sometimes being lost online

The fuzzy alliances of web publishing and advertising, particularly by established print publishers, is illustrated by the recently announced cooperation between Reader's Digest Canada and Kraft Foods. Not that these companies are exceptional, but a release from Reader's Digest highlights their close connection of the editorial and advertising functions online. If a church and state divide exists

Controversial Canadian-made ad nominated for Creative Media Awards

Starcom MediaVest Group has received four nominations for its media work with clients Kraft Canada and Proctor and Gamble in the 2009 Creative Media Awards, sponsored by MediaPost Communications. One of these nominations was for controversial ad that some felt breached industry ad:editorial guidelines. The ad, for Kraft's Tassimo coffee machine, appeared in Style at Home magazine last

Cover "pouch" newest wrinkle in making most of covers for magazine ad sales

House Beautiful, a major U.S. shelter magazine, features a "pouch" behind (or sandwiched inside) the front cover for its September issue. It is but the latest attempt by magazine publishers to find a way to strike a balance between maintaining the integrity of editorial covers while finding creative ways to engage advertisers.According to a story in the New York Times the pouch contains a card

It's subtle, but Popular Science sells its cover

It's called "augmented reality". The July issue of Popular Science has a cover sponsored by General Electric which is so subtle that the only way the G.E.-branded affilliation is known to the reader is if they hold the cover up to a webcam.According to a story in the New York Times, showing it the cover signals the computer to display a sponsored site with Flash-based 3-D images of the windmills

What teeth ad:edit guidelines had are being pulled for expediency

Ad:edit guidelines in both Canada and the United States have always been voluntary, relying on the good sense and goodwill of subscribing members. In Canada, it was an industry task force made up of editors, advertising sales people and publishers who hammered out the rules, which rely wholly on moral suasion. In the U.S. they were developed by a committee of the American Society of Magazine

Mike's heart belongs to Audi...

A friend who has been following our coverage of the erosion of the integrity of magazine covers, writes:The April/May 2009 Sharp magazine inserted with delivery of the Globe and Mail this morning has a flap opening on Mike Weir's chest to reveal an Audi Q5. Headline is "Mike Weir On Tiger's Tail: The Greatest Canadian Golfer talks fame, money and fatherhood"... oh, and then the flap implies he's

Ad encroachment on magazine covers comes in many different forms

For those who want to review the trends and controversy surrounding the encroachment of ads on magazines covers -- albeit in the U.S. -- Nat Ives has an good roundup in the April 1 issue of AdAge.

OMG!!! Maclean's!!! What happened to your cover?

Maclean's. Its latest mission? To boldly go down slippery slopes, where Esquire has gone before. See posts passim.With its April 13 issue, Maclean's leaps aboard the flapvert toboggan. Complete with an arrow and the words "OPEN HERE".Not "OPEN HERE IF YOU WISH TO GAZE UPON AN ADVERT FROM A CAR COMPANY".No, it is implied that the reader would "open here" to partly reveal the answer to the

ESPN magazine takes "flapvertising" another step

The erosion of editorial cover integrity proceeds apace: this time, perhaps emboldened by the Esquire venture into cover "flapvertising" that, at least, had to be opened, ESPN magazine has gone a step forward with an advertising flap that virtually obscures the cover, according to a story in Portfolio.com. Once again, it seems an offence to the spirit and letter of the American Society of