Arthur Sulzberger Jr. Unveils NYTimes Native Advertising Strategy in Memo to Staff
Early next year we’re going to launch a new digital advertising product at The New York Times. It will be our version of what is sometimes called “native advertising” or “branded content.” It has been developed by our advertising team in close partnership with design and the newsroom, and it will be fully consistent with the values of The Times and the expectations of our readers. We will ensure that there is never a doubt in anyone’s mind about what is Times journalism and what is advertising.
But because native advertising is relatively new and can be controversial, I wanted to take a moment to set out what it is, why we are doing it and how we intend to do it in a way that protects the integrity of The Times.
What is native advertising or branded content? It’s a form of digital advertising that enables advertisers to put extended content in front of readers in the form of information, commentary or “story.”
Why is The Times launching a native advertising product? Because the digital advertising market is changing fast. Although banner advertising will continue to be an important business for us, many advertisers want to find new, more immersive ways of engaging consumers. We expect that native advertising will play a part in helping restore digital advertising revenue to growth – something we need to do to support our investment in the journalism of The New York Times.
Why is native advertising sometimes controversial? There have been occasions where publishers have put native advertising in front of readers in ways that did blur the line between journalism and commercial messaging. We are all determined that this will not happen at The Times, and we believe we have put all necessary safeguards in place to ensure that it doesn’t.
What will native advertising at The Times be like? Our readers will always know that they are looking at a message from an advertiser. There will be a distinctive color bar, the words “Paid Post,” the relevant company logo, a different typeface and other design cues to let readers know exactly what they are looking at. There will be strict separation between the newsroom and the job of creating content for the new native ads. And, we will require advertiser content to adhere to a very high standard of quality.
I believe that our advertising and newsroom teams have arrived at a solution that will provide an attractive new outlet for our advertisers without ever confusing our audience. After launch, Mark, Jill, Andy and I will continue to keep a close eye on these new products, and we will all work to ensure that the collaborative approach that has marked the project so far continues.
As always, I thank you for your commitment to The Times and wish you and your family a very happy holiday.
— Memo from Arthur Salzberger Jr. to New York Times employees on new native advertising strategy via Capital New York
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