NYTIMES, 11 Mar 2009: As tough times send some publishers running for cover, marketers are running advertisements on the covers of some publications. The April issue of Scholastic Parent & Child, scheduled to come out on Monday, will carry an ad on the front cover for the first time in the 16-year history of the magazine. The ad, for a company called Smilebox, will appear in the lower right corner of the cover and carry the label “advertisement” in small type.
The ad, a change in the magazine’s policy, came after discussions between the business and editorial sides of the magazine, owned by Scholastic Inc., as well as conversations about the concept with readers.
“There was a lot of thought put into it,” said Nick Friedman, the editor in chief of Scholastic Parent & Child. “We knew it was envelope-pushing.”
The appropriateness of a cover ad “was something that crossed my mind initially,” he added. “It has to work within the context of the magazine, otherwise it will be very outlandish.”
More...