Every Thursday: advertorials by Mobil Oil on the op-ed page of The New York Times

Advertorials are paid messages in the media sponsored by organized interests to create and sustain a favorable political environment to pursue their respective goals. Advertorials, a form of outside lobbying, take two broad forms: (a) image advertorials designed to create a positive impression of the sponsor and a favorable climate of opinion, and (b) advocacy advertorials intended to win support for an interest's viewpoints on controversial issues. We analyze the population of 819 op-ed page advertorials placed by Mobil from 1985 through 2000 to reach the elite audience of The New York Times. Typologies of advertorials and policy content are used to document over time the placement of advertorials, what types of advertorials were used, which issue areas received attention, and the links between Mobil's advertorials and events in the political environment.