Dive Brief:
- The New York Times has yet again entered into the world of long-form native ads with its latest ballet-themed piece "Grit & Grace."
- The piece — sponsored by Cole Haan and produced by NY Times T Brand Studio—centers around three NYC Ballet dancers.
- The multimedia native ad mirrors NY Times piece for Netflix's "Orange is the New Black" with videos, illustrations, and editorial-style narrative.
Dive Insight:
NY Times is setting itself up to be a pioneer for the long form native ad. Few publishers have been able to achieve the interactive, multimedia sponsored content that the T Brand Studio creates, although some are starting to come out of the woodwork like Wired's piece, "TV Got Better," which was also for Netflix. Clearly, not every native ad can expect to achieve the depth that the long-form provides, but there is much to learn from the NY Times example.