Cottage Life goes with a flapvertisement

The summer issue of Cottage Life magazine features a "peel and reveal" cover which, when so peeled, features an ad for Corona beer. According to the blog Cover Sell, quoting an unattributed staffer:

“This was an idea that our sales team presented to the client about a year ago. It was expensive to produce, and required five additional days to print, glue and die cut. This is a first for Cottage Life, but the creative was executed easily. We were able to work with the client while sharing cover and creative at early stages with each other. Positioning of the peel worked well along the edge, and our cover lines were not compromised. This isn’t for everyone, but the concept was a success and everyone was happy.”

This is an example of what's come to be called "flapvertising", which proponents say doesn't offend industry ad:edit guidelines and is a a pure revenue play but which critics say makes covers just another advertising page.  

Esquire magazine was an early adopter, but there have been others. The Canadian industry is just now in the midst of a review of its guidelines (I sit on the task force) and it should make for interesting discussion. Wade in.

Related posts:

• Ads creep onto magazine covers
• Is Esquire leading the way down the slippery slope?