Good gravy. Never in my life have I ever offered my opinion on how someone should manage their own blog. What was I thinking?
I did read the link you shared. What resonates with me is how intertwined product placement and product advertisement can be. From her writing, I could tell that she loved her Elf and would recommend one whether or not Hallmark paid for the post.
On handling of sponsored posts with respect to our audiences.
I’ll give you an example from another blogger. I was so glad that she didn’t put “sponsored post” at the top because I wouldn’t have read it. THIS is an amazing post and what she says about the sponsor at the bottom is actually my favorite part, it’s just beautiful. THIS is how a sponsored post should be and I hope that in the same way, all of my posts are worth the read no matter what they are::
http://www.velveteenmind.com/velveteenmind/2011/12/elf-on-the-shelf.html
Read it, it’s stunning. And nothing in me wishes she would have told me at the top.