Advertising: How much are we talking about?

In the previous article, in which we addressed the topic of intrusive advertising, there were two comments in the digital magazine that questioned the possibility of increasing the subscription price to remove ads. One was under a pseudonym, and the other was from Josep Miramunt. I've also received calls in the same vein, which can be summed up as the classic monetary question: How much are we talking about? What would the subscription be worth if we charged it for the cost of advertising?

I forwarded the question to ARA's general manager, Pablo Casals, who responded as follows: "This option already exists within our subscription model. It is the ARA Premium Club, which has an additional cost of €199 per year on top of the regular subscription fee. With this option, readers can read the newspaper without advertising. and, in addition, they enjoy exclusive benefits: cultural activities, meetings with journalists, gifts of digital subscriptions for whoever wants them, visits to the editorial office, etc." To make this option easier to understand and to provide a service to the readers who have asked me, I am writing it down here. the Premium Club link and facilitate access via a QR code to paper readers.

The recurring reflection that arises every time we address the issue of advertising is twofold.

First, how advertising revenue impacts the quality of the newspaper. Esther Vera, director of ARA, explained this in one of the articles (October 2024) in which I addressed this inevitably recurring issue: "Quality journalism isn't free; it has to be paid for, and it costs a lot of money. News may seem free, but information is very expensive. Rigorous and committed journalism needs money, and even more so, it needs money," and Xavier Linares, financial director, confirmed to me that, according to the 2024 closing figures, "personnel expenses account for 55% of the newspaper's total expenses." Without paraphrasing or euphemisms, the conclusion is that advertising revenue impacts directly the optimization of content, because reader revenue alone (let's put it that way, it's more beautiful and real), being the main revenue, would not meet the minimum quality standards required to ensure we can continue producing the newspaper we do.

I found it illuminating to look at the cultural industry, including the entertainment industry, which has a larger audience, as evidenced by the series—which are a repurposing of the old serialized novels published by newspapers. We'll see that they either intersperse ads even if you have paid for a subscription, or, as in our case, offer a premium subscription that balances the bottom line. I would like to thank Mònica Planas for the information and advice she has provided me with regarding this world she dominates.

I asked him the question about the series. The Chosen [The Chosen], a recreation of the Gospels in which the merchants of the temple sneak in with advertisements that suddenly take you from metaphysics to physics when, for example, right at the dramatic climax in which Jesus cures Saint Peter's mother-in-law, who is about to die, kick the bucket, kick the bucket, teeth, a sanitary pad, the latest generation mobile phone, super-absorbent diapers, a 3.0 scrap metal company and our presidential brand pizza, all of this in just one of the two breaks in the first half hour. Planas clarifies for me: "The Amazon Prime Basic subscription (included in Prime Shopping) has introduced ads in series and films in some countries (including Spain) for a few months now. If you don't want to see them, you have to subscribe to a monthly supplement (Amazon Prime "without ads"). There is also a peculiarity: it depends on the device you watch it on. If you watch it on a computer or tablet, they may not appear, but if you watch it on television, they may. I haven't been able to find out the criteria for why it appears or not. It's a good thing I'm not a Film Lover's Advocate, because I wouldn't have the scope to take on criticism for the dismantling of so many films seen through the platforms.

The second recurring issue in the debate is that of advertising content that is not marked or insufficiently marked as distinct from informative texts, an issue that has already been the subject of extensive jurisprudence, given that the seventh point of the Code of Ethics of the Journalistic Profession in Catalonia formalizes it: "Formulas of promotion or advertising under the guise of such must be rejected." The Ombudsman has echoed several criticisms in this regard, and I am now addressing the communications from founding subscriber Narcís Noguera and founding premium subscriber Antoni López García, who, as early as last January, drew my attention to possible confusions or interactions between information and advertising—he also notes a "part news item"—during the entire hostile takeover process for Banc Sabadell.

I've checked the newspapers for the first twenty days of September and I see that the advertising texts are correctly presented as sponsored content. Last June, I suggested that, to round things off, the corporate bylines "editorial" and "ARA" be rethought, as they can cause misunderstandings. The newspaper's logo has been removed, but "editorial" is still used. This includes an interview with the regional director of BBVA in Catalonia, in which the interviewer's name is not mentioned, precisely in the journalistic genre of dialogue, which makes two people essential, not just one person and a mere figment of the imagination. Jorge Halperín, in his canon The journalistic interview (Paidós, 1998), defines that "the journalistic interview is an exchange between two physical persons and a few institutions that subjectively condition the conversation."

Regarding the takeover bid Antoni López refers to, Sabadell and BBVA are elegantly opting for the traditional advertising of conventional advertisements, certainly thought out and designed with very elaborate criteria from a communications and marketing perspective, without violating the Code of Ethics.

Studying all this, I see, however, that the traditional hegemonic advertisement on paper is above all the institutional one, directly or indirectly, while commercial advertisements, which had historically constituted the most notable economic support of the press, are diminishing. These consumer advertisements that opt for digital are a very interesting indicator of where journalism is moving, at least if we stick to the old norm, inspired by Marxism and typography, that the advertisement, that is, the market, rules. From the newspaper archive to digital first.

The Readers' Ombudsman pays attention to doubts, suggestions, criticisms and complaints about the contents of the newspaper in its digital and paper editions, and ensures that the treatment of information is in accordance with the codes of ethics.

By contact the Readers' Ombudsman You can send an email to eldefensor@ara.cat or record a message of no more than one minute on WhatsApp at 653784787. In all cases, identification with your name, surname, and ID number is required.