Recently, the Los Angeles Times ran a cover wrap on the front page for the new film ‘Alice in Wonderland’.  The wrap and four page spread acted as a false front page of the newspaper and left some readers wondering if lines were blurred between editorial and advertising.

According to Magna Global, newspaper advertising revenue in the U.S. dropped 27.2% in 2009 and is expected to drop another 10.7% this year.  Because of this, newspapers are more open to advertisers running unique and out of the box creative.  While this is common with online and magazines it is a much newer concept for newspapers.  The front page of a newspaper has typically been considered sacred space that is reserved for editorial only.

While running a cover wrap on a newspaper is unique, it is important that advertisers consider the potential audience reaction to this.  The goal is to engage consumers, not upset them with a placement they might feel is inappropriate.  While consumer acceptance will change over time, an advertisement such as this might have been better received had it run as a false cover of the Entertainment section.  As a reader, would you have been bothered by this?

Tags: Alice in Wonderland, Los Angeles Times, Magna Global