Buzzfeed and Upworthy are about to be the butt of a bunch of gags by The Onion. According to an announcement made by Onion News Network host Jim Haggerty (played by Brad Holbrook) at New York’s digital content NewFront presentations yesterday, the site is planning to launch Clickhole.com in June, which will put “content and sponsored posts side by side, with barely any distinction between them.†Some items that will be featured on Clickhole.com will include, per the New York Business Journal:
- Quizzes like “Which pizza should I have for dinner tonight? (presented by Pizza Hut)â€
- Uplifting personal tales in list forms: “Seven pricks that defied the odds and didn’t go into finance.â€
- The aww factor: A video titled “What this adorable little girl says will melt your heart.†(It’s actually a cogent explanation of how brands monetize adorable little kids, as spoken by an adorable little kid.)
- And finally, photo slide shows with no words: “Six kinds of hay.â€
The Onion didn’t shy away from digs at advertisers during yesterday’s presentation, which was aimed at online branded content. One of the quotes featured in their videos: “Nelson Mandela, as he lay on his death bed said, ‘My greatest regret is that I never generated buzz, and expanded my brand’s reach through a cross-promotional digital partnership with a major lifestyle brand with strong appeal among Millennials such as Pringles, or Old Navy. I have wasted my life.’â€