Editorially designed advertisements are suspected of violating the ethical and legal requirement to separate advertising from editorial content. When courts and the German Press Council assess when this is the case, they rely on the perception of the average fleeting reader. However, there is currently little scientific knowledge regarding actual reader perception. Experimental investigation of this form of advertisement shows that it is inadequately recognized as advertising. The indication "Advertisement" plays the most important role in recognition. The more prominent and clear it is, the more likely an editorially designed advertisement is identified as advertising. This leads to the conclusion that the regulations regarding this form of advertisement in the Press Code and press law need to be clarified.