Keith J. Kelly

Keith J. Kelly

Media

Time magazine ad raises church-state separation questions

Time magazine had its first triple gatefold cover on the issue that went on sale last Friday, tied to the relaunch of the magazine’s website — and some purists are wondering if a small ad on the back of the “gatefold cover” is the first sign of a small erosion of the once unbreachable barrier between church and state.

Although no ad was visible on the cover facing newsstand readers — which clearly would have created an immediate uproar — there was an ad for Advil on the third panel of the gatefold “cover.”

It comes only weeks after Sports Illustrated sold an ad on the spine of its iconic Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

“We saw the foundation laid for this once-stunning change when the company reorganized the Time business and editorial structure under new Chief Content Officer Norm Pearlstine,” said Ken Doctor, media analyst at Newsonomics.

“The strict church-state divisions at Time, once as much religion as policy, have thinned, as “editors must become marketers as well,” said Doctor. “So we’ll see lots more content marketing, native advertising, unusual commercial sponsorship — like the Advil one — and placements we never thought we’d see.”

Nancy Gibbs, the managing editor of Time, insisted there was no internal tug-of-war on the matter whatsoever.

“The whole panoramic cover was my decision,” she said. “The back of the magazine is always an ad,” she said. If anything, the ad side relinquished one premium spot for the extended photo.

“I’m very respectful about not confusing readers and we’re very respectful of ASME guidelines.