Huffington Post Steps Into 'Branded Content

Source: Wall Street Journal

The Huffington Post is getting into the business of helping its advertisers become publishers themselves.

With the help of the news website, General Mills Inc. on Wednesday rolled out LiveBetterAmerica.com, a website built on the Huffington Post technology platform. The site isn't part of the Huffington Post, but it will include health and lifestyle articles from its writers, as well as recipes from General Mills, and additional content from online health publisher Everyday Health.

It is the Huffington Post's first major step into the realm of "branded content" –an emerging category of online advertising in which publishers help advertisers create content around a theme relevant to their brand, in hopes that readers will find it authentic enough to pass around on social media.

A cousin of television product placement, branded content blurs the traditional boundaries between advertising and editorial content.

Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390443545504577563512146931998.html

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Google the title for full article. Ugh. ANOTHER reason to avoid this crumbling site. I read the NY Times and Washington Post for the latest political/world news and Think Progress, TPM, or Crooks & Liars instead for liberal commentary.