When embarking on a new project with a ­client, T Brand Studio always asks them to adhere to its ‘storytelling commitment’, a pledge that aims to acknowledge that ­“storytelling is one of the most effective ways to build ­empathy”.

“Our foremost responsibility is to thoughtfully and respectfully reflect the world through a deep understanding of audience ­insights, and deliver compelling and representative stories,” the pledge continues. “We know crafting the best branded stories in the world requires grasping the importance of diversity and inclusion as inextricably tied elements of our storytelling.”

This approach has led to a wide range of content created to appear alongside the New York Times’ mix of news, lifestyle, sport, cooking, shopping, games and more, which includes everything from ‘traditional’ print and digital ads, to podcasts, short film series, and paid-for content.

As we’ve come to expect from the New York Times brand, quality is at the heart of the work T Brand creates, as well as a desire to open up a “deeper conversation” between advertisers and the New York Times’ readership.

“We’re part of the continuum for a brand’s message,” explains Vida Cornelious, T Brand’s vice president, creative. “They’ll have an ­advertising message they’re trying to get out there, and I’m sure they’re going to do their creative with their creative agencies and PR and other things. But there’s always a moment within that continuum where the Times can delve into a deeper conversation and open a wider aperture for them in some ways.”

The New York Times is almost like the Atlantic Ocean. We have a massive pool of tools and places to put your work

The media landscape has been experiencing particular turbulence of late, with a slowdown in advertising cited as a cause of closures and redundancies. At almost ten years old now, T Brand is in its “young adult maturing phase”, according to Cornelious, which offers them advantages in a complex market.

“To me that translates to great processes, wonderful relationships with our clients…. The creative team overall is built out, in terms of having video production, design, business affairs, we have all the back of house and front of house mechanisms in place. It ­really allows us to be a truly end-to-end solution for clients … we have the strategic focus, the actual creative, the programme management to move the delivery.”

With an audience of over 9.7 million subscribers, T Brand has a multitude of ways to talk to the New York Times’ readership, though this variety can sometimes present its own challenges when bringing new ­creatives into the team.

“I think the biggest hump that I have to get over with my creative team, or when people are new and coming into T Brand and understanding how it works, is helping them see that the New York Times is almost like the Atlantic Ocean. We have a massive pool of tools and places to put your work. But it’s not suddenly going to be showing up on the side of a billboard on the street or something like that. We have our pool that we live in. But it’s a vast one.”

We’re in search of storytelling that best serves the client but is resonant to the reader and continues to spark a curiosity

Whereas in some media organisations it can feel as if the line between editorial and advertising is becoming ever more blurred, this is not the case at the Times. “We still have a very strong line between church and state,” says Cornelious. “Our newsroom does not interact with our T Brand team in terms of writing or sharing any assets. But we’re always able to look at what readers are responding to with regards to the journalism – to see what is resonating with them.”

This can sometimes inspire campaigns for brands too. “It becomes a way for the team to connect the dots, if you will, between what the journalism is doing really, really well and enable us to feed off of that in terms of how we approach our clients.”

The team also uses data to show clients the journey that readers go on across the Times, which can often be unexpected. They are able to track all the places that readers are landing and link this together to make wider advertising suggestions. “You can track where they are, and they’re surprised at some of the places where they are,” ­explains Cornelious.

The overarching approach of T Brand comes back to its storytelling commitment, however, and a desire to place brands as “thought leaders”. This positioning comes from a core understanding of the Times’ ­audience but also a recognition that branded content works best when it is focused on ­offering something informative or entertaining for the audience, rather than shoehorning in a sales message.

We go under the layer of what the client is asking for and put them in a position to feel they’re advancing a conversation

“We feel their messages are most well received when it feels as if they are standing for a particular issue,” Cornelious continues. “I don’t want to go as far as calling it advocacy, but the way that they’re able to be supportive of a particular theme or issue.”

She cites a recent campaign with the Boston Children’s Hospital, which became a six-episode branded podcast titled Breakthrough, about the medical innovations revolutionising the future of paediatrics.

“We want to go under the layer of what the client is asking for and really put them in a position to feel like they’re advancing a conversation or giving them a strong stance on being leader, versus just selling the thing. It’s more compelling to our readers that way. And it feels more seamless in terms of their actual experience on the platform. And as a result, you know, we’re able to really create an ongoing relationship with clients.

“We’re definitely in search of storytelling that best serves the client but most importantly is resonant to the reader,” she says. “And continues to spark a curiosity and imagination the same way that journalism does.”

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