Chip Shots by Chip Griffin

Pay to Play is Alive and Well

I had a conversation recently with an ad sales rep for a prominent web publisher who quite bluntly pitched a pay to play scheme. While I understand that the editorial side of the publishing business is not blind to the needs of advertisers (nor am I a purist who believes that business interests should not play a role in content selection), I was very surprised at just how overt this individual was about the connection.

Here’s a paraphrased version of how the conversation generally went:

AD SALES REP: Something else to consider is a “value ad” that we offer to some advertisers. You can get us your content and we’ll make sure one of our writers gets it published on our site. Now, you can’t just give us a press release. It needs to be written more like an article and have a valid hook for our audience, but we can get it up there.

ME: So, you’re saying that if we agree to spend a certain amount, we could get our content published without it being listed as an advertisement.

REP: Yes. Now, we wouldn’t put it in writing anywhere. You won’t see it in a campaign plan or any other document, but you’ll know you will get it anyway.

ME: What level of spending would we need to get that “added value”?

REP: It depends, but in general $50,000 would do it. And remember, it won’t show up in any campaign plan.

Again, I’m not naive, and I know these games are played. But this discussion just seemed so brazen and blatant — especially the repeated emphasis about doing it in such a way that there would be nothing in writing about the deal.

I don’t take issue with sponsored media content that comes with disclosure, nor do I object to publishers considering the wishes of advertisers when making editorial decisions (it is a business after all).

But if content on a media publisher’s web site has been explicitly bargained for — even if not in writing — it ought to be disclosed as sponsored.

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3 Comments

  1. Chip,

    Two words: “Jesus Christ.”

    Putting aside the “pay to play” (which reeks of the continuing search for a revenue model for online – maybe Rupert Murdoch is right after all), a simple Google search would reveal that you, in addition to many other careers HAVE BEEN A PUBLISHER.

    Oh – and perhaps as someone who owns a publishing company, you might, perhaps, take offense to someone blatantly offering pay-to-play.

    I commend you for not calling out the firm, but think that you should. Slap 'em hard.

    Mark

  2. Chip,

    Two words: “Jesus Christ.”

    Putting aside the “pay to play” (which reeks of the continuing search for a revenue model for online – maybe Rupert Murdoch is right after all), a simple Google search would reveal that you, in addition to many other careers HAVE BEEN A PUBLISHER.

    Oh – and perhaps as someone who owns a publishing company, you might, perhaps, take offense to someone blatantly offering pay-to-play.

    I commend you for not calling out the firm, but think that you should. Slap ’em hard.

    Mark

Comments are closed.