Breaking Up Is Hard to Do

Ian Alexander

 

Dear Advertorial,

I don’t know how to say this nicely but…it’s just not working. I’ve tried for years to include you in my circle. I’ve never made you play the uncomfortable host, I’ve sat you in between features and ads and even given you your own tagline: “Special Advertising Section.” But know matter what I do, you always seem to either want more or blend in covertly and then start passing your card around in the middle of dinner. It wasn’t until this past week when you mimicked my department style that I realized it wasn’t you, it was me. I should have never trusted you to begin with. I should have kept my editorial editorial and my advertising advertising. We’ve had some good times—the ad cloaked as a story about our trip to the US Virgin Islands, the business opportunities in India where I let you interview your friends and those photo-styled dinners we cooked in the new condos on the West Side (remember how we soaked up real estate money when the market was hot?) All good memories, but times have changed and my analyst says I need to clean up my act and start setting some boundaries. Everyone always told me you were a little shady, a little “local coupon magazine-ish.” I guess they were right.

Best Wishes,

Editorial

Ian Alexander
Ian Alexander has held fancy titles like Director of Technology Projects and Director of Operations for New York City area technology firms before moving back to his real love, writing. He has managed content projects in affiliate marketing, publishing, outsourcing, and retail. When Ian's not working, you can find him blustering about the relevance of quality Web 2.0 content on the EAT MEDIA blog (www.eatmedia.net) or reading one of the 314 magazines scattered around the office, with post it notes close at hand.