A media property like the Washington Post needs to consider factors such as sourcing and standards when deciding whether to run branded video, says Vijay Ravindran, Senior VP and Chief Digital Officer at the Washington Post Company during an interview with Beet.TV at the Beet.TV executive retreat earlier this month. That’s why the media company often tests those type of ad formats on smaller owned properties such as The Slate.
“With native advertising, at the highest level it’s about setting clear reader expectatons and making sure the sourcing is there, and all the work that goes into our editorial content is distinguished enough so we are setting clear expectations with the readers,” Ravindran tells us. “We are exploring native content through Slate because that is a Web-only publication.”
But with a brand like The Washington Post and its history, the company is more careful. “Just because others are doing it doesn’t mean it’s working for Washington Post, so you see more experimentation out of smaller properties like Slate, Foreign Policy and The Root, but they can also explore these areas, develop the thesis, and see what works.”
He also spoke about The Washington Post’s video strategy, its politics channel, and the “gets” the publication has landed with newsmakers. For more insight, check out this video interview.
