TNW and many other online publications probably don't feel bound by old-school journalistic standards. With the decline of newspapers, etc., it's possible they don't even know what those standards are.

But if you're going to run a sponsored post, say so right from the beginning. Don't make it look like it's just another piece of content. And don't wait until the very end of the post to casually mention who sponsored it. You may have gained some pageviews, but you also lost the trust of your readers.

As for the post itself, I had never heard of Storyblock before this - so, mission accomplished on their end. Marketing tactics like this will ensure I remember them, and never use their product.