The Boston Globe Thursday ran its first-ever full-page wraparound ad, a plug for the University of Massachusetts that eclipsed the entire front page.
The paper will “gauge reader and advertiser reaction” before deciding whether to offer similar ads in the future, said Jane Bowman, vice president of marketing and sales development for the Globe.
“We continue to look for unique and creative ways to meet the needs of our clients and connect marketers with our readers who come to us for our Pulitzer Prize-winning journalism,” Bowman said. “This is certainly a new way for UMass to get their message in front of our readers.”
Media watcher and Northeastern University journalism professor Dan Kennedy, who posted the ad on his blog earlier, suggested obscuring the front page “moved the line past where we always thought it was.”
The ad seems to have taken some Globe readers by surprise, judging by the reaction on Twitter:
The @BostonGlobe front page is for sale? How much did @UMass pay for this? pic.twitter.com/2CjEJVhNWb
— MattWBZ (@MattWBZ) November 13, 2014
The @BostonGlobe paper edition this morning has a wrapper designed to look like front page. Has this happened before? pic.twitter.com/OJedpeG0yq
— Laura Everett (@RevEverett) November 13, 2014
Interesting ad wrapped around today’s @BostonGlobe: #umass pic.twitter.com/jcihucsBwP
— MeredithOBrien (@MeredithOBrien) November 13, 2014
One proud alum was happy to see it:
I’m proud to be a @UMassAmherst graduate. Love the @UMass marketing campaign in today’s @BostonGlobe pic.twitter.com/nzx62KsUAF
— Kyle Lawless (@kyleplawless) November 13, 2014
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