{"id":214,"date":"2022-11-16T22:08:49","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T22:08:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/?p=214"},"modified":"2023-05-05T03:29:16","modified_gmt":"2023-05-05T02:29:16","slug":"the-importance-of-ethical-content","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/2022\/11\/16\/the-importance-of-ethical-content\/","title":{"rendered":"The Importance of Ethical Content"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\n
\n

As I have taken a deeper look into content over the last few weeks, I am learning a lot about how to construct an effective content strategy and the importance of creating content that is accessible. It is also imperative to consider ethics and what trustworthy content can do for a brand\u2019s image. Understanding what constitutes ethical content versus what does not can make or break your content strategy and the face of your brand.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n

When we think about brand content, it\u2019s important to think all the way back to its roots, which lie in print advertising. In \u201c6 Ways To Make Your Native Advertising More Ethical<\/a>\u201d, an article from the American Marketing Association, author Hal Conick shares his input on native advertising content and gives key measures that advertisers, publishers, and journalists should all take into account when creating native content. They are as follows:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. Follow FTC guidelines<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. Clear labeling<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. Follow research more<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. Make the brand part of your byline<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. Never hard-sell<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. Stay out of the news<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
    \n
    \n

    These steps are vital for native content creators of any kind to prevent their content from being misleading or confusing to viewers. While it can be effective to make ads \u201cseamlessly into the journalistic integrity of their respective publications\u201d (Conick), not many brands can make this work. It is best to draw an audience in naturally rather than forcing things onto them, and this goes for all kinds of content including digital! It\u2019s good to have clear content that matches the brand but can also fit the publication.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    Jeff Jarvis, the founder of Entertainment Weekly magazine, shares his thoughts on the idea of brand content mimicking publications after his encounter with a strange ad from Frito-Lay in 1990. The advertisement looked like an ordinary page from the magazine, but there was an image of Lays chips bursting through the copy. This caught Jarvis by surprise. He says, \u201cThe problem with native [advertising] is that it does try to confuse the reader. And as [the journalism] industry got more desperate, we finally got ready to sell our seed corn. That is our reputation, our editorial space.\u201d This confusion that arises can lead to downright distrust for both the brand and the publication that its ad is on. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    Personally, I believe that a brand should be of its own. It should embrace its own image and aim to stand out to viewers and become more memorable. A brand should strive for greatness and take pride in how the public sees it. It should strive to gain the trust and business of its audience so they will become loyal, long-term consumers.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    Even so, I believe that native advertising has the right idea when it comes to trying to blend into its respective publication. If done correctly, this strategy can be very effective and professional.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

    \n
    \n

    However, as we see in the Frito-Lay example from the 90s along with many more since then, this method may not be as ethical as we think. Without being given proper permission and going through the correct protocol, this so-called \u201cstrategy\u201d for branded content can be viewed as plagiarism because brands are taking aspects straight from the publication and using it for their own content, making it unethical. With the right motions in place and a clear-cut strategy, it could potentially work for certain brands. But overall, I believe it\u2019s unethical.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    As I have taken a deeper look into content over the last few weeks, I am learning a lot about how to construct an effective content strategy and the importance of creating content that is accessible. It is also imperative to consider ethics and what trustworthy content can do for a brand\u2019s image. Understanding what… Continue reading The Importance of Ethical Content<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":455,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=214"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":453,"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/214\/revisions\/453"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/455"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=214"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=214"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katiemone.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=214"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}