Boston Herald Auctions Off More Editorial Content

October 10, 2018

As the hardreading staff has noted on numerous occasions, the Boston Herald has routinely employed its kissin’ cousin, Boston Herald Radio, as a launching pad for stealth marketing. The digital broadcast platform, which boasts up to several listeners daily, is a convenient venue to interview advertisers, providing content that the Herald has reprinted with diminishing disclosure.

Representative sample from earlier this year:

 

 

It’s no accident that you can barely read the “Sponsored Content” disclaimer at the top of the page. That’s how stealth marketing works best.

Now, however, the sneaky local tabloid has gone one step further with its ads in sheep’s clothing, as evidenced by page 3 of today’s edition.

 

 

(To be clear graf goes here)

To be clear, both sides of that page are advertisements, despite this attempt to make the left-hand side seem just like  a regular interview.

The Center for Wellbeing clinical director Dr. Jeffrey Donatello joined Boston Herald Radio’s “The Rundown” program yesterday to talk about his company’s use of stem cells in Portsmouth, N.H., to help with arthritis. Here are excerpts . . .

 

Uh-huh.

(To be fair graf goes here)

To be fair, the web version of the adterview is labeled “Sponsored Content.”

 

 

But that doesn’t excuse the lack of disclosure in the print edition, which a lot more people will see.

Moral of the story: When it comes to the stealthy local tabloid, caveat reader.


Boston Globe Joins Herald in Running Sneak Adtacks

February 5, 2018

As the hardreading staff noted the other day, the Boston Herald has of late increased the amount of its “sponsored content” while decreasing the legibility of its disclosure.

Now the Boston Globe apparently wants to join the stealthy local tabloid in profiting from ads in sheep’s clothing, running this on A12 of today’s edition. (Here’s the digital version on the Globe website.)

 

 

(To be sure graf goes here)

To be sure, sharp-eyed observers will pick up that it’s actually an ad, but not everyone is as perceptive as you, splendid reader. For some, anything with a headline and a byline qualifies as editorial content. Which is exactly what stealth marketing counts on.

Regardless, we’re guessing that the revenue-impaired Globe and the bankrupt Herald will increasingly turn toward this sleight-of-ad as time goes on.

We hope, of course, to be proven wrong.


Boston Herald Plants Advertising Deeper Into News

February 3, 2018

The sneaky local tabloid just keeps getting sneakier.

As the hardreading staff has noted on multiple occasions, the Boston Herald’s publication of stealth marketing (a.k.a. “sponsored content”) has steadily become more and more – ah – stealthy, as the labeling of same grows smaller and smaller.

(Pop quiz: Is that an oxymoron, or are we?)

For example, here’s how sponsored content for intimate apparel retailer Rigby & Peller was labeled in March of 2016.

 

 

Then there’s this advertorial for the Massachusetts State Lottery from a year ago.

 

 

And now comes this from yesterday’s edition of the stealthy local tabloid. (Inexplicable Little Green 1 at no extra charge.)

 

 

Do we detect a pattern emerging here?

All of those ads in sheep’s clothing originated in interviews on Boston Herald Radio, which has up to several listeners but which more importantly provides the Herald with a steady stream of stealth marketing opportunities.

Given the Local Dailies DisADvantage the thirsty local tabloid labors under, that just might be the best it can do.


Boston Herald Hoodwinks Readers with Ad-itorial

March 9, 2016

The Boston Herald has never been shy about mixing promotion and news content, as the hardreading staff has routinely noted. But the stealthy local tabloid is getting bolder and sneakier about it at the same time.

Page 10 of today’s edition:

 

Screen Shot 2016-03-09 at 12.54.45 PM

 

Notice especially what’s discretely tucked away upper left.

 

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Obviously, U.K.-based intimate apparel retailer Rigby & Peller bought a twofer from the Herald: that print piece and an interview on Boston Herald Radio, a streaming audio service that up to dozens of people hear each day.

(The dicey local tabloid did much the same for the Massachusetts State Lottery last month, renting out both radio and print for a Frosty Cashword promotion.)

(To be fair graf goes here)

To be fair, the Q&A is labeled Sponsored Content, as is the website version. But . . . on the Herald homepage it is not labeled.

 

Screen Shot 2016-03-09 at 11.12.43 AM

 

We’re guessing the radio interview wasn’t tagged as a paid promotion either. So awkward.

Not to mention convenient.


Boston Herald Joins Globe in Editorial Bake Sale

December 18, 2015

As the hardreading staff has noted in detail, the Boston Globe has of late been leasing out editorial content to paymates of various stripes, from Rockland Trust to Suffolk University to Steward Health Care System.

And now, not surprisingly, the stealthy local tabloid wants in on the auction – in this case via Boston Herald Radio, the streaming audio service that up to dozens of people listen to.

Today’s Herald, page 17:

 

Screen Shot 2015-12-18 at 4.19.45 PM

 

Upper right:

 

Screen Shot 2015-12-18 at 4.20.34 PM

 

The frosty (cashword) local tabloid has often run excerpts from BHR interviews alongside its daily promotional ad. But this is the first time the interview is “Sponsored Content” – that is to say, an ad itself.

We get it that newspapers have to come up with creative ways to generate revenue, which is one reason all this sponsored content is suddenly popping up.

We’re just wondering if there’s any bottom to that well.


Lottery Winner Luckier in Herald Than Globe

October 25, 2014

Kenneth Stokes is hotter than the Kansas City Royals right now, having contracted a severe case of Lottery Fever.

From today’s Boston Globe:

Norwood man a double winner in lottery

Identical tickets used birthdays of family members

stokes-big-8213

Winning the lottery was twice as nice for a Norwood man who this week hit the jackpot with two Lucky For Life tickets.

Kenneth J. Stokes was ecstatic when he found out his lottery ticket had the winning numbers. Then he realized, minutes later, that he had another Lucky for Life ticket with the same numbers.

Stokes received a call from a Massachusetts State Lottery representative Monday notifying him that his Lucky for Life season ticket had won him a prize of $25,000 a year for life, according to a statement by the lottery.

After the call, Stokes remembered that he had another season ticket that his family had bought him — which, as it turned out, had the same lucky numbers, which were based on several family birthdays.

 

Excellent!

But wait – Stokes got even luckier in the Boston Herald.

 

Screen Shot 2014-10-25 at 11.32.03 AM

 

Seems he won a cool hundred grand a few years ago. The story inside:

Call him Mr. Lucky

Norwood man claims $550,000 on ‘Lucky for Life’ double hit

Lightning has struck thrice for a Norwood man — twice on one day this week, when he scored a combined $550,000 with a pair of winning “Lucky For Life” tickets.Lottery

“In my whole life, I never had money where I could say I don’t owe anyone anything,” Kenneth Stokes told the Herald last night in front of CFM Variety, the Norwood convenience store where he bought the lucky tickets.

“Now, I’m going to pay off all my bills, my kids’ and my wife’s,” Stokes said, “and I’m just going to try and live a quiet life — until I hit again.”

It’s the third time Stokes, a Suffolk deputy sheriff, won big. A few years back, an MBTA bus cut him off while he was driving around Watertown. He saw the bus’ number, 0-0-7-1, played it at a local store and drove home with nearly $100,000.

 

Suffolk deputy sheriff, eh? Hey – arrest us. We’ll play our mugshot number.