Publisher’s Letter Explains Limits on Branded Content at the New York Times

Author: 
Coverage Type: 

Seeking to allay potential newsroom concerns about the introduction of a digital product called native advertising, the publisher of The New York Times said that features like a color bar and the words “Paid Post'’ would enable readers to identify material as advertising content.

In a letter to employees, Arthur O. Sulzberger Jr, also said there would be “strict separation between the newsroom and the job of creating content for the new native ads.'’ Native advertising, also known as branded content, is information provided by marketers that is designed to look more like the articles it appears alongside. It has led to controversy in the journalism industry because it blurs the line between editorial content and advertising. But it has also been viewed as a valuable new source of revenue for news organizations struggling to compensate for the decline of print advertising. The platform is “relatively new and can be controversial,” Sulzberger said in his letter, but is necessary to help “restore digital advertising revenue to growth.” The advertisements will appear digitally only and will start in January, said Meredith Kopit Levien, executive vice president for advertising at The Times. They will appear first on the newspaper’s website, placed on the home page and on the front pages of particular sections, in small numbers at first. The advertisements will take all of the forms that editorial content does, she said, “like narrative, video, data visualization.” Kopit Levien said the paid pages would have a blue border, and “visually, through design cues, it will be made clear that this is not coming from the newsroom.” In his letter, Sulzberger said the ads would also display the relevant company logo and a different typeface. The ads will be created by members of the advertising staff.


Publisher’s Letter Explains Limits on Branded Content at the New York Times