Wisk Deep Clean is First Advertiser to Utilize the Technology
NEW YORK, February 19, 2013 – The New York Times (NYTimes.com) today introduced Unveil, a new interactive advertising unit that allows users to interact with a brand message by “wiping away” an initial image to reveal another one underneath it.
The unit, developed by The New York Times Idea Lab, was inspired by the interactive feature, Scratching the Surface, Two Picassos Revealed , which was created by The Times newsroom and published on NYTimes.com. By clicking and dragging a mouse over the image of Picasso’s “Woman Ironing” painting, readers revealed an old canvas that the artist painted over.
Wisk Deep Clean, along with media agency Merkley + Partners, is the first advertiser to utilize the ad unit, with a campaign running on NYTimes.com February 19 through April 14.
The ad, which touts the slogan “The Dirty Truth about Your Clean Laundry,” features an initial image of a T-shirt that is seemingly clean and free of visible stains, however, when the user scrolls over the ad a black light image appears, unveiling the invisible stains.
“We are constantly looking for creative ways to connect our advertisers with our highly engaged readers on NYTimes.com,” said Denise Warren, general manager, NYTimes.com and senior vice president and chief advertising officer, The New York Times Media Group. “Unveil, which was inspired by a newsroom interactive, provides a truly unique consumer experience for advertisers looking for innovative digital marketing solutions.”
“The Unveil technology and the ad’s interactive feature allows us to bring the Wisk Deep Clean ‘Inside Dirt’ campaign to life in a completely new way,” said Lora Van Velsor, Wisk marketing director, Sun Products Corporation. “The creative challenge for Wisk was to expose an ‘invisible’ problem—the hidden body oil and sweat that can get trapped in your clothing—and demonstrate how Wisk is uniquely formulated, and attacks this hidden ‘gunk’. It’s a terrific way to let consumers actively engage with the brand message.”
About The New York Times Company
The New York Times Company, a leading global, multimedia news and information company with 2012 revenues of $2.0 billion, includes The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune, The Boston Globe, NYTimes.com, BostonGlobe.com, Boston.com and related properties. The Company’s core purpose is to enhance society by creating, collecting and distributing high-quality news and information.
Contact:Linda Zebian, 212-556-7153, linda.zebian@nytimes.com
