Point of View: Blurred Boundaries - Where Does Editorial End and Advertising Begin?

Discusses the increasing tendency to blur the distinction between advertising and editorial in media.

Point of View: Blurred Boundaries - Where Does Editorial End and Advertising Begin?

Dennis M Sandler and Eugene Secunda

For many years, there has been a debate about the relative effectiveness of advertising on consumers. Galbraith (1958) contends that advertising manipulates the consumer by appealing to such basic emotions as fear, a sense of inadequacy, envy, etc. Examining it from a sociopolitical perspective, Ewen (1976) concludes that advertising 'brings about a widespread social dependency on the wares of mass production.' This negative perspective contrasts with Holbrook (1987) who concludes that advertising stimulates a number of healthy positive emotions...

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