Sponsored Content in Spanish Media: Strategies, Transparency, and Ethical Concerns

Abstract

Profound upheavals and the search for a viable business model have led the news industry to explore new sources of revenue. The mainstream Spanish media have set up special units to produce branded content, advertising that is integrated into editorial content. This article presents a multi-faceted approach to this practice in Spain, including interviews with branded content lab managers, a survey of journalists (N = 170), and content analysis of articles (N = 331) published by the six main legacy and digital native media companies in June and July of 2019. Results show inadequate disclosure, which makes it difficult for readers to distinguish between branded and editorial content. The journalists surveyed associate native advertising with the risk of losing credibility. This study reveals that the financial sector is the most active in supporting branded content productions, followed by energy and infrastructure, distribution and food industry, and phone companies. This research also unveils advertiser interest in connecting brand image to environment and sustainability values, together with a macro-issue encompassing well-being, sports, and health. This is consistent with the fact that the strongest role performance observed has been for service information, especially regarding tips for the economy, followed by those of the civic and infotainment categories.

Keywords:

• Native advertising
• branded content
• transparency
• credibility
• role performance
• accountability

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the editors and reviewers for their insightful and constructive feedback received through the official reviewing process.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 An email was sent to 17 Spanish professional associations, and 10 of them confirmed – either by answering the email or after receiving a call phone – their willingness to collaborate by distributing the online survey among the members through their newsletters or webpages. This was the case of the Colegio Vasco de Periodistas-Kazetarien Euskal Elkargoa, Colexio Profesional de Xornalistas de Galicia, Unió de Periodistes Valencians, Colegio de Periodistas de la Región de Murcia, Col·legi de Periodistes de Catalunya, Grup de Periodistes Ramon Barnils, and the Asociación de la Prensa of Madrid, Sevilla, Aragón and Alicante.