Dive Brief:

• The New York Times (NYT) on Wednesday (July 5) announced new ad formats for its popular word game Wordle, per details shared with Marketing Dive. They include interstitial video and display ads that appear in the mobile web version after a user presses “play.” 
• DoorDash is the first to take advantage of the new placements for a campaign that will run through Aug. 16. The delivery service each Wednesday will also allow Wordle players to use the word of the day as a discount code for 75% off their first DashPass order.
• The new ads will only appear for non-subscribers to NYT’s Games division. The move joins other efforts by NYT centered around boosting its digital advertising offerings.

Dive Insight: 

NYT is attempting to appeal to potential advertisers with new ad formats for its popular daily word game Wordle, which it acquired last January for an undisclosed price in the low-seven figures. The game, which is free to play, has proven to be a strong engagement tool, having been played over 2 billion times in 2022, according to statements from DoorDash made to AdExchanger regarding the latest news. The new ads will only be served to mobile web players and will not be seen on desktops or tablets, or within the New York Times news and Wordle apps.

DoorDash, the first to run mobile ads on the game, is taking advantage of the web placements to drive traffic to its DashPass subscription tier, offering to accept the word of the day each Wednesday as a discount code in a move that could help it accurately measure the payoff of the new bets. In addition to DoorDash, smart ring maker Ōura also signed on as an early advertiser. 

NYT first started making efforts to monetize Wordle last September, when it introduced ads for the first time on its desktop versions with pilot advertiser Rimowa, a luggage brand. The company has also played off the hype surrounding the game, having introduced the Wordle Flex Frame placement last August to allow advertisers to create five-letter puzzles, similar to the format of Wordle, that can exist across The Times’ various divisions, per AdExchanger.

The new ad placements within Wordle come at an opportune time as the popularity of mobile gaming grows, potentially driving advertiser interest. At the same time, NYT has also focused on growing its ad offerings more widely, including across its News and Cooking divisions and subsidiaries Wirecutter and The Athletic, a sports news site it acquired last year.

Along with an advertiser focus for Wordle, NYT Games has also made a stronger bid to players through recent marketing efforts, including a campaign with comedian Keegan-Michael Key in June that offered those who shared their game score on social media the chance to win a variety of prizes, including the opportunity to have Key join a user’s Wordle group chat. The Games division has also marketed its other titles, including Spelling Bee, which it promoted last year through New York subway ads.

Correction: A previous version of this article misstated the price NYT paid to acquire Wordle. The latest version has been updated to state that NYT acquired Wordle for an undisclosed price in the low-seven figures.