Turbo Tax

While reading Rolling Stone 1149 (February 2012), I got halfway down the left page before honestly even noticing that I was reading an advertisement. In recent issues of Rolling Stone, companies such as Turbo Tax have been using their ad space and modeling it after Rolling Stones layout.  Pulling one over on the reader, a sneaky move turbo tax! “Prepping for the perfect concert tailgate can be daunting, a lot like doing your taxes!” the ad reads, with a smooth transition from Rolling Stone esque content into a sell for Turbo Tax. By using a similar layout to Rolling Stone, Turbo Tax has lulled the reader into a false sense of security, while reading the left column, the reader finds some general tailgating tips, while the right page presents a traditional advertisement.

Another thing I found interesting about this campaign is that on the very top of the left page, the word “advertisement” is printed. I found it interesting that Rolling Stone is seemingly aware of Turbo Tax’s technique of similarity, so much so that they felt the need to give the ad an “ADVERTISEMENT” header, just to remind the reader that the page they have turned to is not as it seems.