# Editorial content and matching online ads

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editorial-content-and-matching-online-ads/717628>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 14, 2015, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editorial-content-and-matching-online-ads/717628 "2015-04-14T08:06:21Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 8:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editorial-content-and-matching-online-ads/717628/1 "2015-04-14T08:06:21Z")

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Since I don’t care much about the real problems in the world, I was reading an article with a somewhat convoluted headline on the Daily Mail website:

[Prince George may need to work on his geography! Toddler goes hunting for Prince William in the kitchen cupboards when told his father was in ‘China’](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3037544/Prince-George-need-work-geography-Toddler-goes-hunting-Prince-William-kitchen-cupboards-Duchess-Cambridge-told-son-father-China.html)

One passage in the article reads:

> [@](#):
>
> At the party in March, where Kate, 33, wowed in a floral Erdem dress and navy Alexander McQueen court shoes, the Duchess chatted to guests including luxury travel agent Claudia Gordon.

Scrolling down a little bit, I find this advertisement (which includes a link to a shopping site):

> [@](#):
>
> Look blooming beautiful in a floral dress by Erdem
> 
> Just look at the Duchess of Cambridge looking fresh as a daisy in a lovely floral print frock as she stepped out of the Goring Hotel.

The ad uses (as far a I can tell) exactly the same picture of the pregnant Duchess of Cambridge in her dress as the article.

I’m wondering: Is this an example of online advertising algorithms working extremely well or does the Daily Mail actually produce it’s content with the surrounding advertisements in mind?

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**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 8:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editorial-content-and-matching-online-ads/717628/2 "2015-04-14T08:16:11Z")

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The Daily Wail almost certainly wrote the content so that they could sell space to Erdem.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\
**Post date:** [April 14, 2015, 8:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/editorial-content-and-matching-online-ads/717628/3 "2015-04-14T08:30:47Z")

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I understand that the Daily Mail isn’t exactly the gold standard for respectability/quality in journalism, but it does have a brand recognition. I don’t recall seeing this kind of unabashed blending of editorial content and advertising, at least not on the website of a major newspaper.