Conde Nast to further merge content and advertising

Last month, I wrote:The second method by which publishers and ad brokers will combat ad-blocking is by making ads harder to detect. We've already seen a huge increase in "advertorials", ads written to look like regular editorial content. Right now, there will be tags or other markers to separate advertorial content from regular editorial content, but in the near future you can expect these borders to become ever more vague, until eventually, they'll vanish altogether.Today, Condi(C) Nast, parent company of, among other things, Ars Technica, announced a new type of ad campaign, as reported by Observer."Creating the most compelling content and obsessively pushing boundaries is what drives Condi(C) Nast," chief marketing officer and president of Condi(C) Nast Media Group Edward Menicheschi said in the announcement. "Partnering with Cadillac, a brand with similar DNA, will result in premium storytelling that engages and inspires our shared consumers."The marketing boundaries will be pushed by "the talented storytellers from Condi(C) Nast's editorial staff" who, in a variety of formats and across the company's distribution platforms (aka editorial properties), will "dare greatly" to reimagine the relationship between editorial and advertising. Condi(C)s Cadillac campaign will consist of more than 50 pieces of custom content, including articles and video.Give it a few years, and the boundaries between advertising and content will be gone completely. It's the only way to combat ad blockers and deliver advertising to consumers on the web.Oh, how we'll long for today's ads.