Blog post: The one thing nobody tells you about advertising in Romania

Information is everywhere these days. Very often, it may seem like too much to handle. Formal or informal sources are abundant, from personal sites, blogs, social media to online media. It becomes harder for readers to distinguish what sources and what information to trust. For companies, it becomes even harder to stand out. I will detail below an advertising practice very few people talk about, which is very widespread in Romania, ultimately impacting everyone on the market, top to bottom.

In the older days of media, when Internet usage was not yet so widespread, media would have rules in place, which helped readers navigate different content types. In newspapers, you could easily distinguish between advertising formats and editorial content formats. When I refer to editorial content, I mean the articles written by journalists and editors, of their own choice and volition, based on their professional knowledge and standards, knowing their readers' profile, and without any external influence. The distinction is important; bear with me. The Internet started to gain more and more ground with the media, and on the Internet, rules began to bend. It was virgin territory, open to new regulations (or lack of). Most people understand that banners are a form of advertising - they are the online version of a colorful full-page ad. And it's still clear that if a text has a P (for promo) or A (from Advertising) in the headline, it is advertising. But the lack of any markings makes the reader unaware of the type of story they're reading. It happens more often than not in many media based in Romania, and it has terrible consequences for everyone. Let me explain how this works.