Advertorials deny more than they deliver

In this article, the author argues that advertising which mimics editorial – such as native advertising, advertorials or branded content – is missing out on the industry's main benefit of building a brand.

Advertorials deny more than they deliver

Jeremy BullmoreWPP

Advertising that mimics editorial denies itself advertising's big bonus.

Not many people remember Jim's Inn. For the first time in this country, the Television Act of 1954 had opened up the BBC to competition from commercial broadcasters – but such was the fear of consequent vulgarity (Lord Reith famously likened the introduction of commercial television to the introduction of bubonic plague and the Black Death) that the language used was primly circumspect. ITV is known as ITV today only because the word 'commercial' was thought to be excessively commercial...

Not a subscriber?

Schedule your live demo with our team today

WARC helps you to plan, create and deliver more effective marketing

  • Prove your case and back-up your idea

  • Get expert guidance on strategic challenges

  • Tackle current and emerging marketing themes

We’re long-term subscribers to WARC and it’s a tool we use extensively. We use it to source case studies and best practice for the purposes of internal training, as well as for putting persuasive cases to clients. In compiling a recent case for long-term, sustained investment in brand, we were able to support key marketing principles with numerous case studies sourced from WARC. It helped bring what could have been a relatively dry deck to life with recognisable brand successes from across a broad number of categories. It’s incredibly efficient to have such a wealth of insight in one place.

Insights Team
Bray Leino

You’re in good company

We work with 80% of Forbes' most valuable brands* and 80% of the world's top top-of-the-class agencies.

* Top 10 brands