New ad model crosses line

A new ad technology, Vibrant Media’s IntelliTXT, embeds contextual ads in the words of stories and crosses the line of what’s an acceptable separation between editorial and advertising. Words in stories and on message boards are highlighted with green, double-underlines, and when you scroll over them, up pops a green-tinted 2-by-4-inch ad. IntelliTXT tested since last year in about 100 online publications, including Hearst’s Popular Mechanics and several technology, gaming and automotive sites. “It’s like selling product placement in the middle of articles,” said Kelly McBride, a member of the Poynter Institute?s ethics faculty. “I have a huge problem with that.”