Is it editorial when the mag calls?

Used to be, a magazine would call and a photographer would know that the usage was editorial. Now, you need to ask. More magazines are now creating the ads that run on their pages. This article from the NYTimes explains.

They are customized ads that work with the editorial content in placement and ad content. This means they are done quickly. It also means they may try to call them something like “advertorial” when they negotiate with you. Don’t get confused–these are ads and they are worth just as much, if not more, than regular ads. I say “more” because the combination of specific placement and targeting, they are potentially much more effective than just any ad.

Some important things to note from this…

• Digital photography makes the ad customization “cheaper and faster to shoot” in their minds. Faster? yes, probably, but why cheaper? This is their mindset and we need to push back on that idea.
• The ads are being used not only in print, but also are being licensed for use on tv, online, and even packaging. This means photographers need to nail the usage down when negotiating a project!
• The mags say that the ads are more expensive for the advertisers (see end of article) but at the same time they talk about cheaper photography. Hmmm…
• In Condé Nast’s case, they obviously value artists in different fields. How can we get them to recognize similar value in advertising photography?
• Keep in mind when they call that the placement alone (w/o creative!) in these magazines is usually over $100K for one single-page ad; and they are apparently shooting multiple ads (variations) for each project. Add in additional uses as mentioned above, and the value of any project like this is high.

New uses like this are being devised every day. That rapid change is another reason we need to find a more logical usage pricing system (creative fees will always vary depending on photographer and complexity–I’m ONLY talking about usage license prices). It is difficult to quantify value, but if we can systematize usage license pricing, it will make everyone’s lives easier and help hold up the prices as they will be tied to an objective value.