The New York Time’s native advertising department, T Brand Studio, is creating a virtual reality campaign for an advertising client.
The latest jump for the New York Times into virtual reality comes from a conversation with Sebastian Tomich, who heads up the T Brand Studio and Ad Age at the company’s NewFront’s presentation in New York on Monday morning. Although the executive declined to name the advertiser, we can expect the campaign to roll out in the next four months, according to Tomich.
“It’s a big thing for us,” he said. “The content itself is, without a doubt, the most immersive we’ve done.”
Tomich was among several New York Times executives who spoke at the NewFront’s presentation in New York. Most of the presentation spotlighted the Times’ early experimentation with virtual reality.
At the end of the hour-long presentation, New York Times Magazine Editor-in-Chief Jake Silverstein shared the stage with director Chris Milk. Silverstein and Milk showed off Walking New York, made in collaboration with director Chris Milk’s production company VRSE. The documentary follows French artist JR, who created the latest New York Times Magazine cover.
Chris Milk and VRSE are definitely on a roll with VR collaborative projects. Earlier this year, Milk released a collaboration with Vice and director Spike Jonze that allowed viewers to experience the Millions March in New York in late 2014. Around the same time he also released a piece he did with the United Nations called “Clouds Over Sidra,” which followed a 12-year-old Syrian girl’s life at a refugee camp in Jordan.
.@nytimes introduces virtual reality video as a dynamic way to get audiences involved in stories. #NewFronts pic.twitter.com/zDs2AvQsss
— T Brand Studio (@TBrandStudio) April 27, 2015
Attendees were invited to use Google Cardboard headsets throughout the venue to get a first look at the video. According to Silverstein, the Times will continue working with VRSE on future VR projects.
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