3 chapters across the catalog
Freddie Sayers of the media outlet UnHerd described the organization's failed attempts to implement traditional digital advertising. Despite high traffic and influential readers in the UK and US, three different ad agencies were unable to generate significant revenue. The hosts reflect on their own decision to avoid the advertising model to maintain independence and avoid corporate oversight.
Russian Facebook Ad Spend and Marketing Ethics
The impact of the $100,000 spent by the Russian Internet Research Agency on Facebook ads was questioned, with Brad Parscale calling it "malarkey" to suggest such a small amount could influence a national election. He noted that legitimate organizations spent hundreds of millions on the platform during the same period. Parscale suggested Facebook is in a "catch-22" where admitting the ads were ineffective would undermine the perceived power of their advertising platform.
NPR Velveeta Shortage Story and Native Advertising Critique
An NPR story regarding a "Cheesepocalypse" or Velveeta shortage is deconstructed as a blatant example of native advertising. The hosts point out that the source of the story was Kraft's own Tumblr page, launched during "Advertiser Week." They estimate the value of such a four-minute "earned media" segment on national public radio to be between $50,000 and $150,000.
