Save 50% on a 3-month Digiday+ membership. Ends Dec 12.
Let’s face it: business-to-business advertising can be pretty dreadful, even if the businesses are targeting marketers.
Don’t tell that to Adobe. It’s continuing to do innovative work with its “Metrics Not Myths” campaign from Goodby Silverstein & Partners. Coming on the heels of its funny “BS Detector” video, it has an Onion column that lampoons the digital media industry. The Onion’s “advertising columnist” Hammond Morris’ “Please Click on Our Website’s Banner Ads” makes the persuasive case that online publishing, journalism, hell, the Internet as a whole is all just about having a canvas for ads. But the real kicker here is that this is part of a branded content campaign for Adobe. That’s some next level stuff right there.
Morris unabashedly skips the whole “dog-and-pony show here where I pretend that this column exists as a forum for ideas, and that I act as an independent voice who isn’t beholden to advertisers,” and just straight up asks his readers to click on any of the ads that surround his article, which happen to be Adobe ads. Because, as Morris lays it out, all publishers on the Web are just sticking text online as a vehicle for ads in order to get those Benjamins at the end of the day. Preferably in stacks, as Morris puts it.
Plus one for honesty, Mr. Morris and The Onion! Read the full article, and do Morris and Adobe a solid and just click.
More in Marketing
In Graphic Detail: Here’s what the creator economy is expected to look like in 2026
Digiday has charted its expected revenue, key platforms for creator content as well as what types of creators brands want to work with.
Ulta, Best Buy and Adidas dominate AI holiday shopping mentions
The brands that are seeing the biggest boost from this shift in consumer behavior are some of the biggest retailers.
Future of Marketing Briefing: AI confuses marketers but their own uncertainty runs deeper
That was the undercurrent at this week’s Digiday Programmatic Marketing Summit in New Orleans.