Chinese walls between advertising and editorial

Have no fear, the walls are still high at the IHT.

Despite the fact that virtually all IHT advertising is currently coming from corporate 'green advertising' or luxury goods/fashion at the moment, Monday's special report on The Business of Green led with an article by the IHT's Eric Pfanner, headlined:

'Green' marketing loses buzz and credibility - here's a taste.

PARIS: At an annual gathering of the advertising industry a year ago in Cannes, the environment was the topic du jour. "Be seen, be green," one agency urged on the invitation to its party at a hillside villa. Al Gore, invited by another agency, flew in to deliver a message linked to "An Inconvenient Truth," his film about climate change: that the ad industry could play an influential role in encouraging business and consumers to change their ways and slow the process of global warming.
The sun was still beating down on the Côte d'Azur last month as advertising executives from all over the world returned for this year's festival. But Al Gore, the former U.S. vice president, was nowhere to be found, and the party buzz was about the U.S. presidential elections, the Euro 2008 soccer tournament or even the business of advertising itself. "Green" marketing, while booming, had lost some of its buzz.
The advertising industry is quicker than most to pick up on changing consumer tastes and moods, and experts say many people are growing skeptical about the proliferation of ads with an environmental message.
Over the past year, as if in answer to Gore's plea, marketers around the world have jumped onto the green bandwagon.
But the sheer volume of environmental advertising and the flimsiness of the claims in some of the campaigns show signs of generating an unintended effect. Instead of serving as a call to action or casting brands in a positive light, these ads are generating an increasingly skeptical response.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/06/business/rbogad.php

Given how the special report was packed with those green advertisers, and how this particular piece was given a skybox on the front page to flag up the report, I think we can safely say IHT editors aren't rolling over to have their tummies tickled by 'green advertisers'.



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