Droga5's new brand campaign for The New York Times sees more of life brought to life

Few things in life happen in isolation. More often than not, one topic dovetails nicely into another, acting as a springboard that launches into even more research. And it's this thinking which is at the heart of Droga5's new brand campaign for The New York Times. In short, as the campaign reads, it's: "more of life, brought to life."

Made up of three spots titled Sneakers, Gravity and Time, the campaign guides audiences along the surprising through line which threads together seemingly ordinary topics. In doing so, the campaign reveals their hidden complexities. And it celebrates how Times journalism "not only reports on the issues that matter but illuminates how they're connected – so we can marvel at the complexity of our world as we come to understand it better."

To illustrate this point, sneakers are used as a starting point in this catalyst of discovery. Taken from the paper's Style section, a 2021 article about the history of Nike sneakers written by Daisuke Wakabayashi is linked up to a 2017 investigation as to why basketball courts are so squeaky, which in turn leads to a 2023 feature about who really taught Kareem Abdul-Jabbar his famous hook shot.

Individually each story is fascinating, but when weaved together, they become a mesmerising tapestry of insightful journalism. "In each journey, we showcase the expansive Times ecosystem, mirroring the personal experience our readers have with our journalism and products," the paper adds.

This first spot will be accompanied in June by Gravity. Meanwhile, the Time spot has been made for the paper's owned channels. Each one promises to take readers on a "journey of revelations" that only Times Journalism can provide. For example, how is gravity, the process of ageing, sake, The Real Housewives and conspiracy theories connected to one another? You'll have to stay tuned to the upcoming spots to find out.

"This is the first brand campaign that brings our essential subscription strategy to life and brings The New York Times universe, and all it has to offer, to the forefront," says Amy Weisenbach, senior vice president and head of marketing at The New York Times Company.

"Every campaign we create comes out of Times journalism, and this creative explores the traversing style of providing connections, revelations and context to our readers so they can understand more of the world around them.

"This journey reflects how our most engaged reader interacts with The Times – whether they start their day by playing Spelling Bee, then jump to a new Styles feature story, which leads to discovering our Climate Forward newsletter, followed by some dinner recipe research on New York Times Cooking, which prompts them to check out the best kitchen gadgets on Wirecutter, and then check out The Athletic N.B.A. Show podcast and the rest of its podcast lineup, and so on."