Forbes.com tests reaction to sponsored links in articles

by Staff,, Brand Republic 04-Aug-04, 08:00

NEW YORK - Forbes.com has become one of the first websites to experiment with a new form of online advertising, which sees sponsored links appearing in the middle of news stories, blurring the line between ads and editorial.

The site, along with Motley Fool in the UK and an IT site called the Experts Exchange, has started to use a system called IntelliTxt. It allows advertisers to buy certain words, which are then linked to its site when used in a news story on the site.

The move raises questions about the separation of editorial and advertising. According to a report in The New York Times, Forbes is planning to see how readers feel about the development.

Jim Spanfeller, president and chief executive of Forbes.com, told the newspaper that if readers were confused or did not like the ads, then "we would walk away".

However, a quick scan through current links on Forbes' stories suggests that the context of IntelliTxt, which has been developed by a San Francisco-based company called Vibrant Media, could be improved.

One story on Forbes about the changing nature of veterinarians work had a line about pet health insurance. Only the "health insurance" words were linked, taking the reader to information on insurance, not for animals, but for people.

Another story about "iconic financial institutions" had a link to a website called Dial4ALoan, despite Vibrant's website promising that these "user-activated advertising message[s] provides users with relevant product information".

Despite this small hitch, with the growth in revenues from sponsored searches for sites such as Google and Yahoo!, it is likely that other web publishers will be keen to get in on the act.

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