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Podcast advertorial

Printable Version
Pronunciation: æd-vêr-to-ri-êl Hear it!

Part of Speech: Noun

Meaning: 1. An advertisement disguised as an ordinary newspaper article or editorial. 2. An editorial intentionally favoring a company or corporate organization.

Notes: When they first began to appear in newspapers and magazines, advertorials were distinguished only by the word advertorial or advertisement in very small letters at the top of the advertorial. The television equivalent is infomercial, a long advertisement disguised as a regular TV program.

In Play: Some companies use advertorials in their in-house magazines in a manner that is not deceptive: "Since Jean is responsible for the advertorial in the company magazine, her staff refers to her as the advereditor." Metaphorical applications are available: "Benedict is a walking advertorial for Volvo cars; you would think he receives a commission on every sale."

Word History: A common misconception about language is that blending, simply smushing two words together. is a legitimate way of creating new words. In fact, it is rare outside English and not all that common in English. Although a few blends, such as smog from smoke + fog and motel from motor + hotel have survived and entered the general vocabulary, most do not. Most blends today are generated by marketers. Three that have emerged in recent years are infomercial, infotainment, and today's word.

Dr. Goodword, alphaDictionary.com

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