Category: In the News

The New York Times’ Cooking vertical has debuted a new baking video series and newsletter franchise led by supervising producer Vaughn Vreeland, making the featured recipes free to access as part of a push to attract younger audiences into its subscription funnel.

Although the Times plans to monetize the videos and newsletters with ads (there isn’t a launch sponsor), the tactic is ultimately part of the Times’ subscriber acquisition strategy. 

The Times has long experimented with loosening its paywall around certain news events – like its COVID-19 coverage in March 2020 and presidential elections. Now it’s applying that same playbook to Cooking, aiming to use recipes and food content more strategically as a subscription driver for new and younger audiences.

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Google is in the process of contracting with Smartly to test the ad tech company’s creative automation platform, according to people familiar with the matter, with the initiative expected to include a series of proof-of-concept pilots beginning in the fourth quarter.

Digiday understands the tests will explore how Smartly’s tools can help Google scale creative asset generation using AI, an increasingly common request from marketers, particularly around campaigns for its hardware, such as the Pixel and Chromebook ranges. 

Separate sources, all of whom requested anonymity due to the nascent nature of the operations, said Google views the collaboration as a way to bring more “intelligent creative” into its marketing mix, with the potential to expand further if the trials prove successful.

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