EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ TRY ADVERTORIAL TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES OF COMMERCIAL CLUTTER

J. J. SOUNDARARAJ*

*Assistant Professor, PG & Research Department of Commerce, Loyola College (Autonomous), Chennai – 600034.

ABSTRACT

The role of media is imperative for the successful marketing communication with the target consumers. Today, almost any media that is accessed by the consuming public is cluttered. It has become the necessity for the marketers to overcome the challenges of the commercial clutter so as to reach the consumers with the desired message in an intended way. There are innovative companies and marketers who find their ways out to effectively communicate with the consumers. One such way which is more appropriate to communicate with the target consumers who are accessible through the print and web media is „Advertorial‟. It is learnt from the past literature that especially many media persons do not favour advertorials saying that they blur the dividing line between editorial and advertisement in the print media. However, it is the belief of the author that an advertorial, prepared strategically will not blur the dividing line. There are a few guidelines, suggested in this article which will make advertorials effective and at the same time keep them away from negative criticism.

KEYWORDS: Advertorial; Marketing Communication; Commercial Clutter; Editorial; Media objectivity and Ethics. ______

INTRODUCTION

Today is the world of clutter. Every person is exposed to many number of marketing communication in the day to day life. It could be rightly said that there is a commercial clutter in all the media. The marketers are striving to reach out to the target customers through any available medium. There is desperately a war among the marketers of the products or services of the same category and other products as well in attracting the attention of the consumers. They spend a lot of money in identifying the consumers, designing the

communication objectives, understanding the readiness state of the consumers, designing the communication, choosing the right media vehicle, and eventually measuring their reach to the consumers. All the money, spent for the promotion of the market offers will go unproductive, unless the marketing communication is made superior than that of the competition. Though there have been many media in use, there is an ever-increasing demand for the important or prime time / space of all of them in which the marketing communication could be made effectively. Comparing the past, the number of national and regional Television channels, Radio channels, Magazines and news papers is higher. However, the competition among the marketers to reserve the slots in prime time of Televisions and suitable space in print media is also higher. The rate per second to air a communication and the rate per line in the print media have increased at a higher rate mainly due to the readiness of the domestic and international giants to pay any amount for effective communication with their customers. The marketers also always try to find new and effective ways to communicate better with their www.zenithresearch.org.in customers. In this regard, there is one way named, „Advertorials‟ which is not new but less

popular among the marketers in India. It is perceived by the author that it is an appropriate

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ way for powerful marketing communication through the print and Internet media if used properly.

ADVERTORIALS- MEANING

The word „Advertorial‟ is defined by many individuals and organisations. Few appropriate definitions on „Advertorial‟ are presented below:

Adver(tisement) + (edi)torial = Advertorial: Source- Etymologies

WordNet 3.0 has defined advertorial as “an advertisement written in the form of an objective editorial, presented in a printed publication, and usually designed to look like a legitimate and independent news article”.

Wiktionary has defined advertorial as “an advertisement promoting the interests or opinions of a corporate sponsor, often presented in such a way as to resemble an editorial”.

Ju, Kim, and Cameron (1996) synthesized conceptual definitions of others in defining advertorials as “blocks of paid for, commercial message, featuring any object or objects (such as products, services, organisations, individuals, ideas, issues etc.) that simulates the editorial content of a publication in terms of design / structure, visual / verbal content, and / or context in which it appears”.

According to the author of this article, „Advertorial‟ is a paid news published for the promotion of individuals, products, services, Institutions and any other market offer. It is actually an advertisement, presented in the form of an editorial content in the print and web media.

For example, take a case of an IT company that manufactures and sells backup and recovery software for desktop computers. To promote such a software, the company might bring out an advertorial involving a feature article on the dangers and challenges of not backing up the important files. The article could be written like a news feature, with quotes and testimonials from people who have been affected by the lost data. The article need not mention the actual product by name, but it would include a link at the bottom directing readers to more information on the desktop data protection, pointing to the company website.

www.zenithresearch.org.in www.zenithresearch.org.in

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ FIGURE: AN ADVERTORIAL, PUBLISHED IN THE „TIMES WELLNESS‟ SUPPLEMENT OF “TIMES OF INDIA” NEWSPAPER (CHENNAI EDITION),

DATED 8TH SEPT, 2011

The above figure is a good example of the advertisement, given in the format of advertorial. This advertorial was given in the first page of the supplement titled “Times Wellness” of Times of India (Chennai edition) dated on Thursday, 8th September 2011. This advertorial fulfils the requirements of a good advertorial. It is related to the establishment of

an advanced medication facility named „RapidArc‟ in a private hospital of Chennai, the www.zenithresearch.org.in

capital city of the state of Tamilnadu. This marketing communication is presented in such

way it shares useful information about the availability of a latest and modern technology and

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ also how superior the technology is comparing the old one in the medical industry. In case, this advertisement has been presented in the normal format, it would have not reached out to many people. Moreover, it is presented in the supplement, meant for Health care and Wellness. Does it against the media ethics? Not at all. It is the perception of the author of this article that it is an useful information, promoted in a suitable way i.e, advertorial which certainly educates the readers about the new facility and also does a good promotion of the Medicare service. In addition, it is stated at the right bottom that it is only an advertisement. Therefore, it could be said that it is an advertisement that is prepared well, using a suitable format for the benefit of both the readers and marketers.

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

The review of literature makes an analysis over the view points of media persons and other critics for as well as against Advertorials.

Randall Rothenberg (1989), Stein (1989), Jonathan Alter (1989), and Rebecca R. Albers (1993) have expressed concern about the blurring of lines between commercial and editorial content that can occur when advertorials are included in a publication. Cameron (1996) described this blurring as information pollution. Cameron and Haley (1992) found in a survey of editors and advertising managers that objections to advertorials were more the province of editorial staff than of advertising managers. William Wetly and others (1981) found that editors viewed advertorials as attempting to achieve credibility by using third- party endorsement that mimics journalistic standards of objectivity. A number of empirical studies have borne out this view. Salmon, Reid, Pokrywczynski, and Willet (1985) concisely described it as the borrowing of editorial credibility. Cameron (1994) expressed that “With the appearance of news, an advocacy message is legitimized by third-party credibility-the implicit approval of the medium in which the information is presented”. Supporting this view, he found experimental evidence for greater credibility and impact when a story was presented as editorial copy than when it was labeled as advertising.

Cameron and Haley (1992) said that it is the belief that an editorial format can be more effective than traditional advertising formats is evidenced by trends toward increased advertorial use and by the views expressed among advertisers / media planners in a number of studies? For example, the total 1991 revenue of $229 million from advertorials in U.S is more than double the 1986 figure of $112 million. Cameron and Curtin, in a secondary analysis of an experimental dataset found that readers were virtually unable to notice labels in

advertorials. According to Salmon et al (1981)., the extent to which journalists can ever achieve objectivity is subject to philosophical debate. Nevertheless, a number of studies directly comparing advertorial and editorial messages conclude that perceived credibility varies between editorial and commercial messages. Credibility and memorability of messages were negatively affected when messages were presented as advertiser-based. Ju, Kim, and Cameron (1996) concluded in their study that the advertorial practice in magazines leaves much to be desired. Guidelines that give readers a fair chance of distinguishing commercials from editorial content would address a potential source of information pollution. Yet such guidelines are being violated in numerous and crucial ways, reducing the visibility of advertorial labels and masking the distinguishing features that could signal advertorial content for readers.

Deepti Mahajan (2004) stated that it is not difficult to find an odd letter to the editor www.zenithresearch.org.in of a newspaper or magazine featured in the letters columns, complaining about the

deterioration of news content and increasing commercialisation of the news media. The

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ media debate in the Hindustan Times elicited some reactions from the readers, but there is not a very strong reaction from the readers as a whole. The main reasons for not getting the reaction of the readers on the commercialisation of media are (1) newspapers are habit- forming and it is not easy to switch from one to another. The reader therefore continues to put up with whatever his newspaper offers him. This is however not true in the case of magazines. (2) The reader is perhaps unaware that the magazine / newspaper she / he is reading is selling editorial space. (3) This reason could be as T.N.Ninan (2003) put it, “..readers choose a newspaper for several attributes, of which editorial integrity may be just one. A paper may have the most comprehensive classified advertisements, useful when you want to rent a flat or sell a car. Then a paper may have the best TV review columns. It may offer a free plastic chair in return for a three-month subscription (as some Hindi newspapers do). Or, simply, everyone in the neighbourhood reads it. And so on. (4) The silent acceptance is to do with the Indian psyche. In India, „public‟ reaction to happenings is very private. Such a private „Public‟ reaction is of no consequence and the reader needs to be more proactive. Deepti has also expressed that the onus to safeguard the ideals of journalism lies on the readers too.

The July 30, 2010 report of the India Press Council criticised paid news, calling it “advertising in the garb of news.” As the press council stated, “news is meant to be objective, fair and neutral- this is what sets apart such information and opinion from advertisements that are paid for by corporate entities, governments, organisations or individuals.”The Press Council advises Indian news outlets to avoid the blurring of lines between advertisement and editorial in the following ways: (a) news outlets should disclose when their news is, in fact, advertisement, (b) news articles should feature bylines, and (c) news and advertisements should be written in different fonts to further differentiate them. Further, the Press Council advised that newspapers avoid publishing preliminary surveys on exit polls so that the public is not influenced: “No newspaper should publish exit-poll surveys, however genuine they may be, till the last of the polls is over.”

In Justice G.N. Ray‟s speech (July 30, 2010) at the “Save Ethics: Save Media” seminar, Ray cited the U.S. Society of Professional Journalists‟ preamble and emphasised the importance of minimizing harm. He added that reporters should “keep in mind the principle of limitation of harm, which means that there is a need for giving proper weight to the negative consequences of full disclosure, creating a practical and ethical dilemma.” He further cited the advice of “ancient Indian sages” to “Tell the truth, tell beneficial words but

do not tell the truth which may cause harm.”

The Indian Press Council‟s Malhotra explained to Stinky Journalism that the Press Council, created in 1966, is “a statutory authority” to regulate the Indian press. He wrote that “The raison d‟etre of this unique institution is rooted in the concept that in a democratic society, the press needs to exercise its freedom with responsibility but be amenable to self monitoring and monitoring by its own peer body.” However, the Press Council “has no punitive powers.”

The Guardian‟s Roy Greenslade has written about paid news in India, noting that a Sunday Times reporter contacted the Times of India‟s publisher, Medianet, and was reportedly told how to buy advertorials in the Times of India‟s supplement. In response, the Times of India‟s chief executive, Ravi Dhariwal, defended the newspaper saying that “There is no paid news in any of their main papers and titles and they do have advertising and www.zenithresearch.org.in

promotional supplements which sometimes carry paid features.”

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ The Indian Government in February 2011 has condemned the phenomenon of “paid news”, in which newspapers and broadcasters accept money to run favourable articles about politicians, companies and celebrities. Broadcasting minister Ambika Soni said the practice was affecting the credibility of news reports and undermining the media‟s claims to be upholding democracy.

The „Report on paid news‟ dated on 30th July 2010, prepared by the Press council of India has described paid news as “a complex phenomenon” that “ranges from accepting gifts on various occasions, foreign and domestic junkets, various monetary and non-monetary benefits, besides direct payment of money.” The report further mentioned that it also involved “private treaties”, involving share transfers between media and non-media companies “in lieu of advertisement space and favourable coverage.” Moreover, many politicians paid papers to run sympathetic stories about them during the 2009 elections, and the report lists several examples. The Press Council Chairman GN Ray, a retired Justice, acknowledged that a section of Indian media had “indulged in monetary deals with some politicians and candidates by publishing their views as news items and bringing out negative news against rival candidates during the last 2009 elections.”

Brendan (2011) has stated that the idea years ago was to simply merge product advertisements with editorial content (quite literally, judging by the name). The concept made sense, given that reader engagement in quality editorial is so much higher that with typical ads. The execution, however, was a little tricky. In the pre-internet days (and even after), organisations would aim to create articles aimed at their potential customers with the goal of wetting their appetites from their products, while still keeping the focus of the content away from the products themselves.

From the above literature, it could be understood that many media persons and the Government have criticised that paid news (advertorial) spoil the objectivity of the media and it has to be avoided. However, it is also stated that even the Press Council India cannot control any media enterprise in publishing the advertorials. It could only advise them and play the role of an observer. This article on „Advertorials‟ attempts to analyse the present state of advertorials and also to suggest the ways to make advertorials more effective but still do not over rule the laws, surrounded the concept.

RELEVANCE OF ADVERTORIALS

In today‟s environment, competition is inseparable from any business activity. No business enterprise is affordable to ignore the influence of competition. Perhaps, understanding the nature and depth of competition is the basic requirement that gives a platform of success to any business enterprise. The marketing companies always try to innovate the ways and means to reach out to the target consumers more efficiently than the competition. The role of media is imperative for the successful marketing communication with the target consumers. Today, almost any media that is accessed by the consuming public is cluttered. It has become the necessity for the marketers to overcome the challenges of the commercial clutter so as to reach the consumers with the desired message in an intended way. Unlike the past, attracting the attention of consumers is a difficult task mainly due to the increased commercial clutter in all important media. However, there are innovative companies and marketers who find their ways out to reach the consumers. One such way which is more appropriate to communicate with the target consumers who are accessible www.zenithresearch.org.in through the print and web media is „Advertorial‟. As already discussed, it is an advertisement

designed in such way to look like an editorial content in the Magazines, Newspapers and

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ Web. When the advertisement is prepared like an editorial content of the Newspaper or Magazine or Web, the probability for it to get noticed by the readers (also the target consumers for a market offer) is really high. It is obvious that many of the readers of the magazines and newspapers are much interested in the editorial content than the advertisements. Only when the readers involve in active search of certain marketing information about a product or service they desire to buy, they take efforts to look at the advertisement columns in the magazines or newspapers. Otherwise, they mostly skip the pages of advertisement. Another aspect to be considered is that every reader of a newspaper normally spares only a few minutes to go through the entire paper. It is a real challenge to get their attention for a minute or two towards the advertisement columns. In the one or two minutes, whose advertisements are noticed is what really matter. The marketers fight with one another to attract the attention of the readers in the one or two minutes they normally spare for looking at the advertisements. It is prudent on the part of the marketers to find new and potential ways of communication instead of fighting with others in the commercial clutter. It is certain that „advertorials‟ stand away from the clutter and helps the marketers to communicate effectively with their target consumers who are also the readers of newspapers and magazines, concerned. However, the advertorials are required to be prepared following the guidelines laid down by the Press Council of India and the Government as well. The advertorials should be prepared in a way not against the objectivity of the media, and the word „Advertisement‟ should be affixed at the top or bottom of the advertorials. The real idea behind advertorials should be to make the readers to read the communication and not to cheat them. After reading the advertorials, if the readers come to know that they have read an advertisement, they could decide whether to follow it or not. Similarly, as per the opinion of the author of this article, Advertorials need not be permitted for certain promotions like, promoting a political candidate or a party and a particular company or organisation. This tool could be effectively used for the benefit of the readers and also the companies that sponsor the advertorials. Though there are certain legal and ethical restrictions to prepare the advertorials, it is true that well-planned advertorials have reached out the consumers in a better way than that of the other forms of advertisement in the print media.

HOW TO MAKE ADVERTORIALS EFFECTIVE?

It is the belief of the author that following certain guidelines to prepare the advertorials will surely create a win-win situation to both the media and the readers. It is learnt from the past literature that especially many media persons do not favour advertorials saying that they blur the dividing line between editorial and advertisement in the print media.

However, an advertorial that could be prepared strategically will not blur the dividing line. There are a few guidelines, suggested in this article which will make advertorials effective and at the same time keep them away from negative criticism. The following are the suggested guidelines:

UNDERSTAND THE NATURE OF THE PUBLICATION, USED FOR ADVERTORIAL: The advertiser should first understand the nature of the publication that will carry the advertorial. It is essential to know its competition, kinds of advertisements it normally carries, the typeface, size of the type, headlines and graphics, it uses. A clear understanding of the publication will enable the advertiser to prepare a suitable advertorial.

KNOW THE POLICY OF THE PUBLICATION FOR ADVERTORIAL: Some of www.zenithresearch.org.in the publications might emphasise on certain aspects like, the advertorials should have a

few differences comparing their editorial in terms of the type and size of font, used. In

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ such case also, advertorials could be prepared well as articles using a good style of presentation.

DETERMINE A SUITABLE SIZE: In order to give an editorial look, the advertorials are required to be prepared in a size that is much similar to that of an editorial article of the publication. It is suggested to have a minimum size of at least quarter page for an advertorial in the newspapers so as to give a look of an editorial article.

IDENTIFY AN APT HEADLINE: The headline of an advertorial is more important and it plays a vital role in attracting the attention of the readers. The headline for advertorial should be planned very similar to those in the publication in which it appears. Superlative headlines should not be used. Instead, simple and ordinary headlines could be used. The figure, presented in this article is given with a simple but effective title- “Rapid Treatment”. It is an appropriate title for an advertorial, published in the Times Wellness supplement.

ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF THE READERS: Using the permitted colours or style of fonts and a good style of writing, attracting the attention of readers is the priority. By all means, the advertiser of advertorial should avoid the thinking that he / she involves in publishing a normal advertisement. Perhaps, this is a pre-requisite to avoid a title that will give an advertisement look to an advertorial.

DESIGN THE CONTENT THAT ENHANCES THE KNOWLEDGE OF READERS: The advertorial should be designed or written in such a way it is more informative and enhances the knowledge level of the readers on the topic, concerned. In this regard, the advertorial titled „Rapid Treatment‟ has really presented some useful information such as, the problem being faced in the absence of the new technology, how superior the new technology „RapidArc‟ is than the existing one in terms of accuracy in end results and the time consumption. It is sure that advertorial like „Rapid Treatment‟ will enhance the knowledge level of the readers. Similar style has to be followed in designing the content for an advertorial.

ENHANCE THE BRAND IMAGE: The consumers might look at certain brands as inferior or not of good quality. The advertorials really contribute for the enhancement of brand image in the minds of the readers cum consumers. It primarily depends upon the way an advertorial is written.

EXPLAIN COMPLEX PRODUCT DETAILS: It is essential to explain the complex details about the product or service or aspect that is promoted through the advertorial. Although an advertorial entertains as it informs, complicated products may require more attention on the latter. Understanding the features as well as seeing their benefits is important to a customer who happens to the reader.

USE PHOTOS AND CAPTIONS: Use of relevant and attractive photos along with suitable captions will add value to the advertorials. The photos of the celebrities will surely give the value of attraction to an advertorial.

PLAN FOR A GOOD BEGINNING AS WELL AS AN END THAT ELICIT INTO

ACTION: As usual for all powerful communication, the beginning and the end should www.zenithresearch.org.in

be chalked out very well. The beginning paragraph should attract the reader just like

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ other articles in the same publication. The ending paragraph should have some information that induces the reader to get into action.

INSERT EXPERTS‟ OPINION: It is very good to incorporate the positive opinion of the known experts on the topic of an advertorial. It could be evidenced in the „Rapid Treatment‟ advertorial.

USE SUB-HEADLINES: Use of sub-headlines could be considered only if necessary.

INCORPORATE THE CONTACT INFORMATION: Obviously, the advertorials should be like articles but still they are only advertisements. Making use of a suggestive approach, an advertorial should create a sense to do something what the advertiser exactly wants the readers to do.

ENSURE THAT ONLY A FEW ADVERTORIALS ARE PRESENTED AT A TIME IN AN ISSUE OF A MEDIA VEHICLE: It is suggested that for effective reach of advertorials and also to protect the objectivity of the media, both the advertiser and the media person should ensure that there will not be more than 2 or 3 advertorials in each issue of the print medium. Placing many advertorials will certainly spoil the objectivity of the media and the interest of the readers too. It is good that the readers get 70-80% of pure editorial and 20-30% advertorial and other advertisements together.

DO MENTION THE WORD “ADVT OR ADVERTISEMENT” somewhere at the bottom of the advertorial in order to finally inform the readers that it is only an advertisement and moreover, it fulfills the requirement, suggested by the Press Council. In this regard, the advertorial „Rapid Treatment‟ has done it correctly.

SUITABILITY OF ADVERTORIALS

It is suggested that Advertorials will be a suitable format of advertisement only in a few occasions. This part of the article discusses such occasions that are presented as follows:

It is more appropriate to use advertorials for promoting innovative concepts, ideas, services and technology.

Creation of awareness about something among educated consumers shall be done

effectively using advertorial.

It is an apt format to communicate with educated consumers. If a marketer targets educated consumers or executives, he does not need the usual type of marketing and advertising. There should only be a tailor-made approach. He / She will need an innovative and strategically systematic approach to reach the deeper minds of the readers.

When the marketer wants to make his marketing communication very informative and suggestive as well, Advertorial is much reliable.

Advertorial form of advertisements is more suitable for ending rumours against an

organisation and its marketing offer. www.zenithresearch.org.in www.zenithresearch.org.in

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ CONCLUSION

Advertorial form of promotion is very effective for the promotion of certain issues, products, services, organisations and technologies among educated consumers. As advertorials are related only with print and web media, this format of advertisement could be used as an alternative to other forms of advertisements such media. The concept of advertorial is not new. It is being used on a limited basis by a few advertisers who are familiar with its requirements. Moreover, cost of advertorials being comparatively higher, it may not be affordable for many small enterprises. On one hand, there has been a much criticism from the media persons, Press Council, and the government against advertorial as (a) it is blurring the dividing line between the editorial and advertisement, (b) it is affecting the media objectivity (c) spoiling the very nature of media (d) it makes the media pure business oriented (e) It is a way of cheating the readers (f) It leads to unethical promotion of Individuals, Organisations and especially the politicians (g) it is used to damage the image of the opponents, etc. On the other hand, Advertorial is a blessing that helps the advertisers to overcome the problems / challenges of commercial clutter in the print and web media. It is also proved through researches that the reach of advertorial is much higher than the ordinary advertisements on the same issues. However, the author strongly recommends that advertorial form of promotion should not be used for promoting Individuals, private organisations, and more importantly the politicians. It could be concluded that Advertorial form of advertisements, used following the guidelines, suggested in this article, shall be incredibly beneficial to both the advertisers and the consumers who happen to be the readers of the print and web media.

REFERENCES

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9. http://articles.everyquery.com/articles-benefits-of-advertorials-for-business-49181.html

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EXCEL International Journal of Multidisciplinary Management Studies Vol.1 Issue 2, November 2011, ISSN 2249 8834 Online available at http://zenithresearch.org.in/ 10. http://www.ehow.com/how_2257374_write-advertorial.html., “How to Write an Advertorial”, April 09, 2011. 11. http://www.plentysystems.com.au/resources/articles/97-editorial-vs-advertorial-does-it- really-matter-to-a-customer., “Editorial vs. advertorial – does it really matter to a customer?.,” Wednesday, 14th October 2009., Maria Morton. 12. http://blog.openviewpartners.com/the-advertorial-definition-redefined-for-content- marketing/., “The advertorial definition, redefined for content marketing.,” April 20, 2011., Brendan Cournoyer., 13. http://indiatelecomnews.com/?page_id=110 14. http://www.stinkyjournalism.org/editordetail.php?id=1203., “India Press Council advises against Advertorials”., February 21, 2011., Sydney Smith. 15. http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/greenslade/2011/feb/20/press-freedom-india., “India‟s dodgy „paid news‟ phenomenon.” Sunday Times/ The Hindu/Press Council of India. 16. http://www.stinkyjournalism.org/editordetail.php?id=1081., “India Journalists worried about paid News, Media Monopolies”., December 28, 2010., Sydney Smith. 17. http://www.easterpanorama.in/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id- 881:paid-news-the-bane-of-ethical-jounalism&catid=45:web-special&Itemid-24 18. Jonathan Alter, “The Era of the Big Blur,” Newsweek, 22 may 1989, 73-76. 19. M.L.Stein, “Advertorials: Editors Discuss How to Make Them Work,” Editor & Publisher, 17 November 1990, 22. 20. Randall Rothenberg, “Messages from Sponsors Become harder to detect,” The New York Times, 19 November 1989, sec. E, p. 5. 21. “Rapid Treatment”- an advertorial, Times Wellness- supplement of The Times of India, Thursday, 8th September, 2011, Pg-1. 22. Ray Eldon Hiebert, Sheila Jean Gibbons. Exploring Mass Media For A Changing World. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, 2000.pp.19. 23. Rebecca R. Albers, “When Is News Not News?”, Presstime, April 1993, 52-54.

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25. Salmon.C.T, Reid.L.N, Pokrywczynski.J, and Willett.R, “The Effectiveness of Advocacy Advertising Relative to News Coverage,” Communication Research 12 (4, 1985): 546-567. 26. Self-censorship refers to the ways reporters doubt themselves, tone down their work, omit small items, or drop stories to avoid pressure, eliminate any perception of bias, or advance their careers. (Croteau and Hoynes, 2000). 27. T.N.Ninan, Editor, Business Standard. „All the news space that‟s fit to sell‟, Hindustan Times, February 19, 2003. 28. William Welty, “Is Issue Advertising Working?” Public Relations Journal, November

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