• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, September 25, 2013

More newspaper and magazine publishers are trying out native advertising, in which paid promotional messages appear alongside editorial content in a similar format. The latest publication to join the native ad craze is The Dallas Morning News, which introduced native ads for its digital channels through Speakeasy, a social content marketing company formed as a joint venture between the newspaper and Slingshot LLC.

The Dallas Morning News tested its native ad program earlier this year with Extra!, a new product that presents paid marketing content as a complement to editorial content found in the newspaper’s online GuideLive section.

Speakeasy executives are in charge of finding the right editorial content to match with advertising sponsors; their choices are also subject to approval by the newspaper’s editorial staff. Each campaign lasts seven days, during which time it is integrated with the newspaper’s social media channels and other sharing functions.

Lindsay Jacaman, general manager of digital marketing for The Dallas Morning News and chief revenue officer for Speakeasy, stated: “Our approach is straightforward and low-risk by serving up original, high-quality content in a contextually relevant environment sponsored by an advertising partner.”

Previously, The Washington Post unveiled native advertising for its digital platforms, followed by plans to introduce print native ads sometime in the second half of the year.

On the magazine side, earlier this week, Hearst launched its first native advertising campaign on Harper's Bazaar, with Nordstrom promoting the latest UGG Collection. Meanwhile, Condé Nast's Wired magazine recently rolled out Amplifi, a division tasked with creating branded content, sometimes drawing on former writers who worked for the magazine.

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