Charlie Warzel of AdWeek reports that Forbes content will appear in ads for blue-chip companies as part of a deal with Martini Media.
Warzel writes, “The ads will let the marketer surround their own rich media with Forbes articles that are specific to the brand’s message. For example, one launch client, Emirates Airlines, will include in its ad travel and thought leader-related articles from Forbes that are aimed at high-income executives. When the Forbes link is clicked, the ad unit will redirect to Forbes’ site, where the sponsor’s ad content will surround the article.
“Advertisers will be able to choose from any Forbes staff-written content, and their bylines and photos may appear in the ad as well. The ads will then run as IAB Rising Star portrait units across Forbes‘ and Martini’s publishing networks, which includes such sites as Salon, LexisNexis and Kayak.
“It’s not uncommon for a publisher to seek wider distribution of its content; what’s unusual about this deal is that the content is being distributed outside the publisher’s own site. It’s a bold move, even for a publisher like Forbes, which radically broke with church-state convention in 2010 when it let advertisers publish alongside staffers in an overhaul of its print and Web products. While the marketers’ posts carry a BrandVoice logo, they, by design, look just like the editorial-produced content.”
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