Black Ops Advertising: Native Ads, Content Marketing, and the Covert World of the Digital Sell

by Mara Einstein

“There is no need for advertisements to look like advertisements. If you make them look like editorial pages, you will attract about 50 per cent more readers. You might think that the public would resent this trick, but there is no evidence to suggest that they do.” —David Ogilvy, founder, Ogilvy & Mather

From Facebook to Talking Points Memo to the New York Times, often what looks like fact-based journalism is not. It’s advertising. Not only are ads indistinguishable from reporting, the Internet we rely on for news, opinions and even impartial sales content is now the ultimate corporate tool. Reader beware: content without a corporate sponsor lurking behind it is rare indeed.

Black Ops Advertising dissects this rapid rise of “sponsored content,” a strategy whereby advertisers have become publishers and publishers create advertising—all under the guise of unbiased information. Covert selling, mostly in the form of native advertising and content marketing, has so blurred the lines between editorial content and marketing message that it is next to impossible to tell real news from paid endorsements. In the 21st century, instead of telling us to buy, buy, BUY, marketers “engage” with us so that we share, share, SHARE—the ultimate subtle sell.

Why should this concern us? Because personal data, personal relationships, and our very identities are being repackaged in pursuit of corporate profits. Because tracking and manipulation of data make “likes” and tweets and followers the currency of importance, rather than scientific achievement or artistic talent or information the electorate needs to fully function in a democracy. We are being manipulated to spend time with technology, to interact with “friends,” to always be on, even when it is to our physical and mental detriment.

Genres: Nonfiction, Business

250 pages, Paperback

First published July 25, 2016

About the author

Mara Einstein is professor of media studies at Queens College, City University of New York, and an independent marketing consultant. She has been working in, or writing about, media and marketing for more than 25 years, and been an executive at NBC, MTV Networks, and at major advertising agencies. Dr. Einstein is the author of a number of books, including Compassion, Inc. (University of California Press), which examines the growing trend of promoting consumer products as a means to fund social causes and effective social change.

Reviews

[Stewart Tame · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting and informative look at current trends in online advertising. Some of this was new to me and some of it familiar. I had not realized, for instance, that when I click on a website, there's literally a bidding war going on between advertisers for the right to load their ads with the website, all taking place within the few seconds it takes for the site to load.

Over the years, the line between content and advertising has become increasingly blurry, and ads become more and more targeted to specific individuals. Einstein supports her thesis with numerous examples. The footnotes are almost as engrossing as the book itself. A highly informative book, if a bit dry.

[Pseudo · Rating 2 out of 5]

After reading several chapters, I finally decided not to continue reading this book, which I found quite disappointing.
If you are wholly unaware of the online targeted advertisement you get based on your research history, if you believe celebrities always post their sincere thoughts on social media and are never part of a larger branding agenda, if you haven't noticed yet how rampantly sponsored content is overshadowing truly informative content, and/or if you have been living under a rock of solid naivety, then yes, you will probably find this book very useful.
If not, this book will certainly not provide you with the in-depth analysis you might have hoped for based on the alluring title.
Also, expect silly comments and utterly bullshitty generalities about millenials based on the universal experience of "having a teenager home", which goes hand in hand with a general confusion between the normal gap and misunderstandings between generations and the specificity of "millenials" (with an absurd typology that could as irrelevantly be applied to the entire population).

[Derek · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not particularly well written, but insightful. A good reminder that your smart phone is essentially a corporate surveillance device that is constantly trying to sell you shit.

[Melinda · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing read. Fascinating, horrifying, troubling, brilliant! Learnt slot on this book journey. The things you don’t think about advertising...the things you should know about advertising....great book. Well researched. Well written. Should be compulsory reading for all consumers... just to make sure we are all aware of how we are being advertised to!

[Mario Russo · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is solid book. I believe it is more relevant to general public than marketing professionals. If you post a lot on Facebook/social media this book might open your eyes and think twice about how these services are used. Nothing online is truly free.

[Don Gorman · Rating 2 out of 5]

(2) As an advertising professional always trying to widen my depth of knowledge about today's marketplace I knew I eventually had to read this book. The first quarter or so of it is pretty basic stuff, but after that it gets pretty darn interesting. The case studies and information about how big data, marketing firms, advertising agencies and companies are targeting and getting messages out is truly amazing. The surreptitious nature of it all is overwhelming. Einstein's point of view is very well taken and her plea for personal privacy is one advocated by many. This will be an important book for some and sheer blather for others.

[Kathleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although this book has quickly become dated post Facebook/Cambridge Analytics and other privacy current issues, it is an interesting look at how the advertising industry has changed over the years, and how much of what you see on the internet is being sold to you. The author relies heavily on the idea that there is no "free" when it comes to digital. Every site you visit, story you click on, emoticon you share is being tracked and sold. I'm looking at you Goodreads with your "hand picked" book suggestions. Do I care? Not in this case. In some others, yeah, maybe we do need to open our eyes up a bit - or at least pay attention to what I'm seeing.

All in all an entertaining and informative read about how the internet - what we see, what we read, what we like are - is very different to each of us.

[Mandy Yeung · Rating 5 out of 5]

Must read for anyone who uses the internet. Content marketing may be less disruptive to our media consumption experiences, but we do pay dearly for access to "free" content. While no one likes being advertised to, at least with traditional TV ads, we knew when we were watching an ad and we could choose to walk away. Nowadays digital marketers know so much more about you than you'd probably be comfortable with if you knew the extent of it, and it's not always clear whether you're looking at real content or a sponsored post. As the author puts it, there is no such thing as free on the internet- we all pay with our time and attention, the most valuable resource we have in life. It's why I try my best to put my phone away when I'm taking care of my baby- I don't want to have my eyes glued to the screen while my baby grows up and I miss it

[Alexander K · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is the "Fast Food Nation" of Advertising.

[The Ragi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well researched, but the conclusions can be summarized in: we need more government regulation of the internet. It could've ended up without that, and it would make for a better book.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well put together source regarding hidden advertising and sponsored content, buried between what might appear to be news and not marketing. Very informative.

[Marc]

(very, very overdue at the library; was interesting/disturbing, but not all that gripping of a read; enjoyed the case studies/examples)

[Devogenes · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5. Interesting book and well worth reading.

[Donna O'Sin Jones · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very informative about the various ways advertising is used on the Internet along with data collection. Very enlightening.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

so true-- giving virtual reality a break

[Steven Kaminski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eye opening book that goes deep into how marketing now is changing as companies need to become more and more creative to get you to buy their products. But this book also gets into the shifts in marketing & basically talks a lot about what we as consumers want to see. A lot of that aim now is about content marketing: to sell you something without the feeling that you're being sold.

- Commercials used to be packed into content. Now the process is very much the reverse where content is now packed into commercials.

- Commercials and marketing used to be about trying to solve problems for you. Telling you what was wrong & their product could fix it. Now it is about connectivity. Building friendships and promoting happiness. It's all about participation and personalization.

- Google which doesn't do ads made over $50 BILLION on placing ads...more than every single newspaper in the United States combined.

- Facebook applied for a patent on algorithms. What did it do? It allowed credit agencies to be able to judge YOUR creditworthiness tied into who your network of friends were. Let that one sink in...

- On average now we get exposed to over 5,000 different advertising messages a day. The holy grail for marketing now are brand evangelists. Think of Trekkies for each individual product.

- The landscape of marketing & engagement is changing but the biggest shift in this now is Big data. Data firms can use your IP address to track what you're surfing for, interested in and then specifically place the ads where they think you will be the most likely buy. That is power.

Wild book...

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

Right up front, let me say that anyone who runs through the Internet during any part of their day, needs to read this book. It pulls the cover back on where a majority of the content you see actually comes from.

The author walks through the various types of content and how they are fashioned to get past our internal ad filters. Advertising without the audience actually knowing it is advertising. Hence, "Black Ops".

Advertising now takes many forms. From Publishers as Marketers (Native) to Marketers as Publishers (Content), the reader is shown how the trade tricks consumers into believing the ads are simply blog posts, for example. But are actually carefully crafted marketing literature with the express intent to influence without being overt about it.

Think about the whole idea of "sharing". People like to share links to videos, pictures, blog posts, etc. A lot of such sharable content is actually created by someone in the pay of an advertiser. The best way to influence is through someone's friends, the thinking goes. Hence, a cute video with a subtle tag line at the end for the sponsoring company, is designed to take advantage of the network effect.

After reading this book, you will not look at the Internet in the same way again. You will question everything you read, which is how it should be. Otherwise we are all sheep.

[Mike Bell · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of information on a variety of topics. Would have rated it higher if it were more succinct. There is some 101 level education on advertising, types of advertising, social media, internet security, and storytelling. This makes the book a bit difficult as I want to skip past this to the issue and solution. I'm probably not the audience for this book, or perhaps the author hasn't figured out the audience (there is higher level info mixed in).

It leads to a very strong recommendation on how to fix the problem. I don't believe this book is the rallying cry to ignite change, but you never know.

[Lo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think the books content is good and coming from a great place, but it was repetitive. I feel like it could've been cut in half with the same information served the same way. I feel that this would be a great book to give to someone caught up into social media who needs to take a step back, not so much for those who've accepted the internet for what it is a long time ago. That said I read the first two chapters and skimmed the rest. I'm changing my three star to a four in appreciation of her boldness to speak against the topics we're getting secretly forced fed.

[Letícia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for anyone interested in content marketing and really anyone who works in media. It offers a great outlook on the subject, its history and some ideas for going forward. The book is very critical of it but I would recommend it both to people who share its worldview and to others.

[ash · Rating 2 out of 5]

A lot of the same information was covered in Everybody Lies Big Data, New Data, and What the Internet Can Tell Us About Who We Really Are by Seth Stephens-Davidowitz.

Still a few good points on the direction of marketing, where it was, where it is, and where it's going, and of course the ethics.

[Fee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am not sure what to think. I finished the book and I quit reading a lot of books these days, so that means something. I am just note sure why someone should read this. The book feels like an essay without a deeper or original insight.