Mysterious giant footprints are found on the beaches ofSouthern California. The 'H' of the Hollywood sign has been knocked down, damaging several homes. Universal Studios Hollywood has been partially destroyed. These were all articles that ran in last Thursday's Los Angeles Times.
Well, they weren't exactly articles; rather fake ones created to advertise for the new King Kong attraction at Universal Studios, Hollywood. The print ad was a complete wrap around article that covered the LATExtra section of the newspaper.
What served as a clever and creative way to get the reader's attention has actually garnered criticism and protests. Los Angeles County supervisors are protesting the paper's ad section, saying that this particular ad harms the newspapers credibility.
Many readers felt that the ad was misleading, stating that they felt duped and can no longer trust the paper. One blogger argues that there is no question that the intent was to purposefully mislead readers into thinking something horrible has happened all over Southern California.
I disagree. The advertisement was clearly labeled as that, with a red "Advertisement" label on the top of every page of the advertisement.
This is what Los Angeles Times Publisher Eddy Hartenstein had to say:
"The Universal Studios Hollywood ad wrapping Thursday's LATExtra section met our advertising guidelines, including a large, red 'advertisement' notification on top of the page. Our readers understand the ad-supported economic model of our business, which allows us to provide the outstanding journalism they rely upon 24/7."
I understand that there is a certain level of ethics that many journalists follow and stress, and that this may seem like a breach of trust, however I don't really see that great of harm in the ad. With newspapers dwindling, the LA Times was just looking for a way to profit on the need advertisers have to break through the clutter. In my opinion the ad read as an ad.
This is just my opinion, what do you think?
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