Testing newsroom ethical boundaries and local editorial independence, Corporate's advertorial department is launching a specialty website on Monday focused on seasonal ailments. The cold and flu portal will publish through the end of September across Gannett sites, including U.S. newspapers, TV stations and MomsLikeMe.
It's being sponsored by a single advertiser: Similasan, the Swiss maker of over-the-counter products including Similasan's Nasal Allergy Relief.
The site is one of the first to be created by a former ContentOne department -- Custom Publishing -- since it was turned over to Chief Marketing Officer Maryam Banikarim in May, when ContentOne (the former Gannett News Service) was split after the retirement of its manager, Tara Connell.
The project comes as GCI struggles to shore up revenue after a recent quarter where newspaper advertising fell 6.5%. And it follows GCI's ongoing shift toward becoming a "marketing solutions" company, and away from a traditional news producer.
Risking newsroom credibility
Custom Publishing produces what's generally known as advertorial: news stories, video and other matter meant to cast a subject in a favorable light, one that's pleasing to potential advertisers.
But when produced by newsrooms, advertorial risks undermining the editorial staff's credibility by creating the impression advertisers can dictate the content of news columns. At the best publications, advertorial is produced outside the newsroom, and is presented in typefaces and design that clearly separates it from traditional news.
The Custom Publishing department is not directly demanding upbeat, non-critical coverage. Editors have been told the site "will feature quality cold and flu content from Gannett news sources." They've been advised to place an online link to the portal "with any content you may be running locally about cold/flu season.''
Mandate to participate
Yet, by telling editors in advance that Similasan is the sole sponsor, Corporate is nonetheless pressuring newsrooms to produce material that doesn't, for example, mention cold and flu remedies that would be competitive with the Swiss manufacturer.
There's no doubt that local news sites are expected to participate. Because it is a sponsored site, all U.S. newspaper and broadcast sites, "are expected to cooperate in promoting the portal and making efforts to drive traffic to it."
The project comes as newspaper newsrooms, especially, are struggling to produce the most basic public-service content -- such as government watchdog reporting -- after a big layoff in June. Editors of the company's 31 biggest papers met only last week to learn about a new editorial initiative dubbed "passion topics."
What's more, the cold and flu site is the latest example of Corporate dictating news content across the entire company, a shift from the company's historic practice of deferring to local editorial control.
The site is among the more high-profile signs of the direction Banikarim may be leading the company since her March appointment as GCI's first CMO.
Memo: boost revenue
When Banikarim inherited ContentOne's Custom Publishing, COO Gracia Martore said in a memo:
"It will create and manage a corporate editorial calendar, develop content and enterprise packages and further develop Gannett’s custom publishing business. The goal will be to generate additional revenues for the company and add scale while leveraging our vast content portfolio."
Banikarim came from NBCUniversal, where she was senior vice president of integrated sales marketing. In that role, she was responsible for "working across NBCUniversal’s portfolio to develop custom, innovative ad sales solutions on behalf of clients as well as overseeing marketing for NBCUniversal,'' GCI said at the time.
The site is one of the first to be created by a former ContentOne department -- Custom Publishing -- since it was turned over to Chief Marketing Officer Maryam Banikarim in May, when ContentOne (the former Gannett News Service) was split after the retirement of its manager, Tara Connell.
The project comes as GCI struggles to shore up revenue after a recent quarter where newspaper advertising fell 6.5%. And it follows GCI's ongoing shift toward becoming a "marketing solutions" company, and away from a traditional news producer.
Risking newsroom credibility
Custom Publishing produces what's generally known as advertorial: news stories, video and other matter meant to cast a subject in a favorable light, one that's pleasing to potential advertisers.
But when produced by newsrooms, advertorial risks undermining the editorial staff's credibility by creating the impression advertisers can dictate the content of news columns. At the best publications, advertorial is produced outside the newsroom, and is presented in typefaces and design that clearly separates it from traditional news.
The Custom Publishing department is not directly demanding upbeat, non-critical coverage. Editors have been told the site "will feature quality cold and flu content from Gannett news sources." They've been advised to place an online link to the portal "with any content you may be running locally about cold/flu season.''
Mandate to participate
Yet, by telling editors in advance that Similasan is the sole sponsor, Corporate is nonetheless pressuring newsrooms to produce material that doesn't, for example, mention cold and flu remedies that would be competitive with the Swiss manufacturer.
There's no doubt that local news sites are expected to participate. Because it is a sponsored site, all U.S. newspaper and broadcast sites, "are expected to cooperate in promoting the portal and making efforts to drive traffic to it."
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| Banikarim |
What's more, the cold and flu site is the latest example of Corporate dictating news content across the entire company, a shift from the company's historic practice of deferring to local editorial control.
The site is among the more high-profile signs of the direction Banikarim may be leading the company since her March appointment as GCI's first CMO.
Memo: boost revenue
When Banikarim inherited ContentOne's Custom Publishing, COO Gracia Martore said in a memo:
"It will create and manage a corporate editorial calendar, develop content and enterprise packages and further develop Gannett’s custom publishing business. The goal will be to generate additional revenues for the company and add scale while leveraging our vast content portfolio."
Banikarim came from NBCUniversal, where she was senior vice president of integrated sales marketing. In that role, she was responsible for "working across NBCUniversal’s portfolio to develop custom, innovative ad sales solutions on behalf of clients as well as overseeing marketing for NBCUniversal,'' GCI said at the time.
G A N N E T T. A marketing company.
ReplyDeleteBye, bye news.
The Journal News in Westchester has had annual advertorials about the local communities for years. It's all rah, rah, rah....All written and edited by the news dept. The same BS produced annual "back to school" supplements.
ReplyDeleteGannett's "integrity" is mirroring that of its so-called leaders who enrich themselves from the dollars saved by cutting thousands of employees.
I'd like to see Dubow and Martore do a Deal Chicken commercial. They'd look great in chicken costumes. They could be strutting around a nest filled with golden eggs.
This type of news makes me throw up in my mouth at the thought. Way to further erode the "brand."
ReplyDeleteNo shit, FF. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about this initiative.
ReplyDeleteAnd if this product starts having problems like ZICAM did, are they going to report on that?????
ReplyDeleteAnother notch down for Gannett's trust and credibility, two intangibles that don't show up as line items on a balance sheet - and therefore are irrelevant to these clowns.
ReplyDeleteWhat ever happened to the "old school" mandate that makes advertising and editorial separate entities !! These bastards are not newspaper people at all ,they are retailers of ad space only.
ReplyDeleteJust fits in line with having Finance Managers now as General Managers who replace Publishers.
Real publishers would not put up with this.
What lightweights. No ethics. Could not care less about journalism. The finest marketing/ad people I every worked with never advocated messing with the news product.
ReplyDeleteI'm an advertising guy and yet I ask....why did we need to get the newsroom involved in this project? Why not just produce it solely as an advertorial piece and let the edit folks focused on real news?
ReplyDeleteWe could have solved the client's marketing needs and not pissed off and further alienate the entire editorial staff. Geez, we're so stupid sometimes.
I am not sure the USA Today newsroom IS involved in this project. Or if we are, we haven't heard yet.
ReplyDeleteI'd assume/hope it's produced separately by the same people who do special publications; in fact, I'm pretty sure it is.
Really, Maryam? This is what you've come up with?
ReplyDeleteWonder if this will make the "On the Road" update?
ReplyDeleteI can think of little else I'd least choose to read about. On any platform in any venue.
ReplyDeleteBoring.
This program does have a precedent in Gannett. In Cincinnati, the Enquirer teamed up with Fifth Third Bank to create a short-lived web site offering generic personal finance information and advice from 5/3 experts. Later the Enquirer teamed up with Christ Hospital on a web site offering generic personal health information and advice from Christ doctors. See www.gethealthycincinnati.com. Nothing but blatant boosterism. The Enquirer sacrifices what's left of its biggest strength -- its editorial independence -- for a few piddling bucks.
ReplyDeleteAs part of "old school" publishing, I learned and revered the separation of church and state, so to speak. I think the issue here is that many Gannett managers truly don't know or understand the difference. Some of the suggestions my former marketing manager would make in meetings clearly showed she had no clue of the difference between editorial and advertising. And the "initiatives" she brought back from management meetings weren't any better. But she was pretty and learned how to be a Gannettoid, so her ignorance of ethics was overlooked or dismissed.
ReplyDeleteSo sad, yet this is one reason Gannett is where it is today. There is no credibility in the products or the management.
She's from the world of television. Have you seen the crap that's on the tube lately? It's no wonder this is the best she can come-up with.
ReplyDeleteJust wait until Gannett does an article supporting an advertisers product and the advertiser is sued as the result of a side effect which unfortunately happens all the time. "May case bleeding, headache, nausea, loss of sleep..." Wait, that was while I was employeed by Gannett.
ReplyDeleteWell, the cold and flu season does begin around the end of August so at least we're on top of this event.
ReplyDeleteYeah, 5:43 PM, but cold and flu season goes at least through February! In addition to the slippery-slope journalistic ethics issues, GCI couldn't figure out how to keep a cold & flu project running past September?
ReplyDeleteI said it when she was hired amid all the "give her a chance" posters. She will do nothing, make a lot of money and leave. She is a no-substance fraud like the rest. Lame newsletter campaign, lame ideas. Nothing of substance will come from her except her paycheck. Thanks for nothing.
ReplyDelete12:05, I tried to think positively when she came on board. Boy, what a fool I was. Will we ever get anyone with any idea on how to make our products viable once again? If this is the best we've got, we are so screwed.
ReplyDeleteWhat a disappointment she is.
ReplyDelete1:30am, what did you expect?
ReplyDeleteG A N N E T T runs the "A's" off, because they point out management's incompetence, and hires "C's" to make themselves look better.
It's pretty simple actually. She was bounced from NBC along with the new USAT VP Marketing and then parked themselves here until something better comes along. We can only hope they don't damage the brand too much during their tenure.
ReplyDeleteI feel a fever coming on. ...
ReplyDelete"I got a FEVER ... and the only cure for it is more.... cowb... er, DealChicken!".... yeah, DealChicken... that's the ticket!"
ReplyDeleteYes this site is a conflict of interest, but Gannett has long since dropped any pretense of ethics dividing editorial from advertising.
That flew out the window long ago when that idiot Phil Currie was around...
Revenue trumps ethics every time.
Really, what were we expecting from Banikarim? It's just like the people at Tribune who duped themselves into thinking Sam Zell was their white knight. No one can rescue a business model that is fundamentally broken.
ReplyDeleteFor all its faults, the concept will generate revenue. That is more than you can say for our lame ad sales team. And at least this keeps her from her off the road commentary. Now, what can she do to offset the heather frank team?
ReplyDeleteLet's start a "Maryam's Last Day at Gannett" pool. Who's in? $5/box payable in a Gannett Blog donation- Jimbo is the moderator/administrator. On the memo line of your check, write in your date of choice. Any takers?
ReplyDelete