Once upon a time (about three months ago), branded content – read: ads in sheep’s clothing – was pretty much the exclusive province of online publishers from BuzzFeed to Gawker to TheAtlantic.com.

That was then.

Now mainstream news organizations are on branded content like Brown on Williamson.

So, once around the park, James, and don’t spare the sources.

• How the AP Is Approaching Native Ads

In an acknowledgment that licensing content has become a disappointing business, the Associated Press will begin introducing native advertising into its stream of news and features on mobile apps and hosted websites next year.

Sponsored content will run the gamut, from text to video to photography, though the AP declined to discuss what exactly content will look like except to say that the ads won’t look like AP content. Instead the sponsored content will sit alongside AP material.

“We’re not trying to make people think this is something AP produced,” said Ken Detlet, the AP’s vp of digital advertising strategy and sales. “They’ll know it’s something the brand is bringing to the table.”

Well, that’s good news, eh . . .

Read the rest at Sneak Adtack.