When you think of magazine advertising, you probably think first of display advertising. These are the glossy, four-color ads that dot most consumer magazines. Display advertisements can shill everything from new cars and smart phones to upcoming movies, newly published books and the pilots for next fall's TV shows.
Usually located in the back pages of magazines, classified are small, usually black-and-white, ads that most often contain text but little or no other artwork. Classifieds often list homes for sale, financial services, help-wanted jobs and other services. In fact, classifieds are often an eclectic mix that might even include personal ads and dating service promotions. These ads may look small, but magazines often rely on them--thanks to the volume of classifieds they receive--as a solid revenue stream.
Advertorials are often difficult to spot. That's because they usually look similar to a story or feature in the magazine. There's a difference, though; advertorials are written by the marketing department of a company to promote a specific product or service. The advertorial may include what looks like a standard headline--an advertorial promoting a newly released collector's coin might have a headline such as "Rare Coin Released to the Public"--and even feature quotes from people thrilled with a certain product or service.
To determine if what you're reading is an advertorial, look at the top of the page. Written there somewhere, perhaps in small type, should be a phrase similar to "Paid Advertisement."