why a good media buyer is always best...part deux

Now, I know that advertising in newspapers is an entirely different and unique beast than most other types of print ads, in that you buy space blindly, not knowing what sort of story you will follow. The potential to have your ad placed under the feel-good puppy story of the year is as likely as falling under the world's greatest pedophile serial killer on the run.

But you have to wonder whether the newspapers take the latter option into consideration ever, and try juggling ads to proper suit both story and client.

Case in point: from the Toronto Star, June 20, 2009 edition:

After discussing the most hot-button issue so far this year (and likely for the rest of the year) at the very top of the page, with tensions between Ahmadinejad and Mousavi reaching a near-boiling point, the Star's coverage of their pending "Showdown" is followed by a showdown of a different kind below.

Bell vs. Rogers.

Really?

It's obvious neither side wanted to try and compare the "showdown" for the Iranian presidency to the "showdown" of network speed on your new BlackBerry. But let's try and think, people! Especially over a product the hard-line regime has essentially blocked any use for, use your heads. Let's just hope this truly was unintentional.