Here is another example, this one a more "classic" flog.
Both are good and doing phenomenally well. The top example especially is absolutely raking in the money due to what must be some leverage in their media buying. The number of placements is not something the average marketer, even a successful one, has access to. As good as these sites are, they are starting to show signs of age. They aren't brands. They are gimmicks, and without telling a living breathing story, their snapshot in time starts to lose potency. They excel because of their ability to create a trust bridge to products that otherwise have no differentiation. That trust bridge is important. So the question is, what happens when the blog format tires and a new one is needed? I only wish I were clever enough to have thought of the latest iteration. Unlike the flogs who follow a Wordpress-like look and feel, this new breed is completely different. It almost can't be called a flog. You've probably seen them running or if you work at a network been forwarded it. Take a look at this one. Utter evil genius.
In all the ways to create a different but equally powerful trust bridge, what better than to mirror a news source. And check out the name. The Boston Tribune. What average person would really know Boston newspapers (outside of those in the New England Area). It's like saying the Los Angeles Post. And, in more news site style, it has ads across the type (brilliantly all promoting the page), mutli-media support, all while leveraging the brand power of other experts.
Whatever this format can be considered (farticle?), it's catching on. Here is another iteration but run under a different brand focusing on a different product. You'll notice, it has a very similar layout and pitch but doesn't use a news brand. It's the same entity as the above based on the tracking and disclaimer language. This one isn't so much a news site as more of an article. If anything it resembles a more traditional advertorial.
Another example in our cavalcade of new reality sites is News9News. It's evil genius is less in the name and more the lovely array of images at top that suggest the news team behind the site. It even displays weather information, the IP mapping could be better. While the header suggests a more robust site, all links point to the product to get the user down the path of the trial. News9 has pretty strong disclaimer language below and a link to it above. We do enjoy the contact option, which reads, "Do you have an idea for a news story? Do you have an event that you would like us to share with the public? Would you like to advertise on our website? Contact us by sending an email to the address below. All inquiries will be fielded and directed to the appropriate party."
We've seen at least one of these reality sites running on Facebook and quite a few gaining some solid traction on display. Regardless of what happens, it's amazing to see the iteration in the fake reality sites happening this quickly and in some ways dramatically. They are still fake people but being written in a way that is arguably less deceptive even though it's entirely a work of fiction. I'm just waiting until we have one that isn't The Boston Tribune but Oprah Times.
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