They've staffed up a D.C. bureau and broken some pretty interesting political stories (while wildly entertaining us with others) so it makes sense that BuzzFeed would attract political advertisers. too.
Early Thursday morning, the day after the first presidential debate, President Obama's campaign introduced an ad on the meme-tastic website and, wouldn't you know, it has the same feel as the rest of BuzzFeed. The clickable, shareable ad is headlined "4 Ways President Obama will Strengthen the Middle Class" and features a video message from the president. To avoid having readers confuse it with actual editorial content, the video is labeled a paid political ad.
BuzzFeed President Jon Steinberg considers this the future of online advertising. "Even the president is going beyond the banner," Steinberg told Yeas & Nays via email. "All the leading brands have recognized that social, content-driven advertising is the future and that banners are dead."
