Bentley Continental Flying Spur: Between the lines

Saturday, October 15, 2005

Bentley Continental Flying Spur: Between the lines

Jalopnik has some interesting news: Some subscribers to Road and Track magazine have recently received a freebie publication bundled with their magazine: the “Road and Track Guide to the Bentley Continental Flying Spur”.

Except for its smaller size and better paper quality, the supplement looks exactly like the main mag: typeface, layout and structure. It’s written by Road and Track staffers and it contains the official Road and Track spec sheet. The supplement is, of course, an advertisement, bought and paid for by Bentley. This fact is not mentioned anywhere in the publication.

According to Richard T. Bisbee, Road and Track’s Midwestern Advertising Director, the magazine’s Custom Publishing division creates at least one such automotive supplement per year. Companies like Subaru, Saab and Chrysler have availed themselves of the service, shelling-out $1 to $3 per copy. When it comes to editorial, Bisbee makes no bones about who calls the shots: “All the copy is approved by the advertiser.”