I’m a big fan and subscriber of the magazine Monocle. I like the style of the magazine and above all the good stories I’m finding inside. We all need to read about great and beautiful things right?
In the April issue of the magazine, I found three native advertising inserts that made me think on the effectiveness of this marketing technique. Long story short: I don’t think I’m sold completely to native advertising, and I’ll show you why.
I started notice native advertising more often after I read Doug Kessler post titled “Native advertising: trust for sale“. It’s a good post, and I suggest you to read it.
The first native advertising insert was about a mall in Bangkok and it’s called “A one-stop guide to Siam Center”.
It’s an eleven pages insert about the story, art, architecture and retails of this mall. Really? I mean, it’s a mall, and it’s in Bangkok. You really think I’m going to read 11 pages about something that – no offense – has no real interesting story behind it? I have no doubt that Thai creative community is excellent, but what the Siam Center here did – and Monocle too – was to interrupt a reader with something with absolute no interest and moreover too long to be taken seriously. Here we go, to the trash bin!
The second insert is from Louis Vuitton.
This is basically a giant two-side poster with some worldwide destinations and for each destinations there are some info like: where to eat, where to sleep and so on. I totally don’t get it this marketing operation. Here there is absolutely no story, just a list of cities and places. Why should I care? Why are you interrupting me? Monocle is a magazine of stories. Here I find just a list of things. Louis Vuitton is saying “Louis Vuitton has travelled from north to south, from east to west, from a to z. Open up for our latest destinations throughout Asia, Oceania and Africa, part of the l’aventure world tour”. EH? No offense Louis, but you don’t need to tell me anything about destinations. Really. Even because you just showing a list of places and nothing really useful. All right, go with your friend above to the trash bin!
The third insert is called “A unique Monocle guide to Instanbul” by Turkish Airlines.
Have to say I didn’t realize it was something done by Turkish Airlines because they used a yellow color for their guide, and they collaborated with Monocle as well. I never visited Istanbul before, so I took a look. The guide has a tiny format, it’s not intrusive and Turkish Airlines have only two ads places at the beginning and the end of this little guide (ads with Istanbul images). Here you can find shops, restaurants, Istanbul highlights and how to spend 24 hours in the city. For every place, there is a short story. I think I’m gonna keep this guide. Let’s be clear: even this guide interrupted my experience with Monocle, but it was less intrusive, it was interesting, there was some context for every place nominated here.
My point is: advertisement is always advertisement. It will always interrupt. But I like when companies create something useful and cool around what usually is sterile: the ad. I have mixed feeling about native advertising, but as everything in life – marketing included – if you have to do it, do it right.
Do not interrupt me. If you interrupt me, tell me a story.
