The native ad for Shell in The Washington Post jumps out from the rest of the page with its yellowish background color screen
I, for one, am happy to see that digital platforms are not the exclusive domain for native advertising. In fact, I have advocated it as recently as three months ago during a presentation for a group of European editors.
There is no doubt in my mind that advertising has always had a special lure and attraction to our audiences, while not necessarily to the editors who produce content for those readers.
Now The Washington Post has taken that first step to include a native ad in print. This is not another advertorial, mind you.
It is a specifically tailored ad for a page with content related to that of the Shell advertising.
“Unlike print advertorials of the past, the content does not appear as an insert or in standard ads; instead, it is integrated among editorial stories on the page featuring background shading and ‘sponsor generated content’ labeling,” Post spokeswoman Jennifer Lee said.
Interesting to note that Shell can be considered a pioneer already in the area of native advertising in print. In 2011, Shell combined with the Dutch quality newspaper, NRC Handelblad, and published a glossy magazine that looked like National Geographic, filled with photography and stories about the energy of the future.
In discussing the Shell native ad, Ebele Wybenga, author of The Editorial Age: How Branded Journalism Breeds Lasting Attention, wrote:
“A subtle notice on the cover said Energy Future was an initiative by Shell made possible by Museum Boerhaave, a Dutch science museum and NRC Media, the company that owns the newspaper. The Shell logo was incredibly small. The Energy Future supplement was pure advertising, disguised as a collaboration between a trustworthy museum, a respectable media company and a surprisingly modest multinational.”
I am sure that newspaper publishers everywhere will be looking at The Washington Post native ad in print initiative with great interest. Many will conclude, and rightfully so, that this is part of new Post owner Jeff Bezos’ strategies to reinvent the old and respected brand.
That pioneer of the native ad in print, Shell, did not miss out on the opportunity.
Of related interest
https://www.garciamedia.com/blog/psponsored_messages_cuddling_up_to_editorial_content_p