Podcast Fresh

The Marie Claire Podcast, a joint project by PodShow and Marie Claire Magazine that was launched January of this year with the sponsorship by Unilever is being criticized as being too “commercialized” with most of its episode loaded with plugging and product-praising.

The Marie Claire video podcast is designed to feature celebrity interviews, beauty and fashion talks, and some behind the scenes events of Marie Claire Magazine, But the episodes of  the said video podcast is said to be featuring prominent product placement of their sponsor which is heavily done by the magazine’s editors; hence has raised questions about the blurring of advertising and editorial content in podcasts.

The American Society of Magazine Editors said that advertising needs to be separate and can not include the editors and should not be produced by the editors.  Marlene Kahan, executive director of ASME also remarked that all online pages should clearly distinguish between editorial and sponsored content and that a magazine’s name or logo should not be utilized in a way that suggests editorial endorsement of an advertiser.