It looks like ad agencies are catching on to the power of authentic communication. On Wednesday, September 13th, the Wall Street Journal reported that this season's premier of the popular reality series "America's Next Top Model" on the CW network will feature a new kind of commercial they have dubbed a "wrap." A wrap is essentially a two minute segment that airs during commercial breaks but looks like part of the program and features a celebrity spokesperson discussing trends and tips on topics the audience of 18 to 24 year old women are interested in. For example, a TV personality might talk about the latest hair styles with another female guest. The first 90 seconds will be general discussion while the last 30 seconds will weave in a demonstration of a specific product like Herbal Essence shampoo.

Does this sound at all familiar? The answer is obvious to those who work in PR. It is exactly what PR people have been doing for years -- using credible spokespeople to deliver a product message in the context of an interesting interview.

The only difference here is that the segment is being paid for and in this case it costs about one million dollars for production and airtime.

Maybe the cost of these "soft sell" ads will be too high for traditional marketers and this experiment will fail. But it is still a disturbing trend to see ad agencies buying what PR agencies have delivered for years. It makes it clear that the traditional boundaries between our disciplines are fading and that PR people are going to have to be even more innovative in the future if they want to hang on to their place in the marketing mix.