• Portfolio, Friday, January 23, 2009 9:30 AM

Hearst-owned Esquire is blurring the boundary between advertising and editorial in new ways by putting an ad behind a peel-back flap on its cover. The American Society of Magazine Editors ad guidelines includes a dictate that the front cover is strictly "editorial space" and should be a sponsor-free zone.

Did Esquire seek pre-approval from ASME for its novel ad unit? Sid Holt, ASME's CEO, says no, but that the cover is in keeping with the spirit of the guidelines. But, he adds, "Anything that would suggest the cover of a magazine can be sold to advertisers the way developers sell real estate -- 'will build to suit' -- is cause for concern." He says the Esquire cover "has been the subject of much discussion" among editors.

Maximillian Potter, executive editor of Denver-based 5280, worries that advertiser-friendly concessions by influential titles like Esquire will have ripple effects. "It becomes extremely difficult for editors at far less marquee brands than Esquire to fight off tempting ethical advertorial compromises when the likes of Esquire appear to be doing it and there are little to no ramifications."

Read the whole story at Portfolio »