![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/04/socialstrategy.jpg?w=1000&h=579&crop=1)
Advertisers are pouring money into social, so publishers are getting creative to offer “social” ads.
Time Inc has hit on a gambit: It includes sponsorship messages in social ads that drive users back to Time content sponsored by a brand. Time bills the the effort as an ad unit of its own, but it’s really using Twitter and Facebook for wider distribution — and hopefully a little social juice.
An example is a campaign for Walmart that Essence is running. The ad campaign includes sponsorship of a “Best in Black Beauty Awards” section, where Walmart has several run-of-the-mill ad placements. The campaign is augmented with Twitter and Facebook ads promoting the section, along with a small sponsorship message to boot.
![Screen Shot 2013-05-15 at 1.01.46 PM](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/05/Screen-Shot-2013-05-15-at-1.01.46-PM.png)
![Screen Shot 2013-05-15 at 1.03.00 PM](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2013/05/Screen-Shot-2013-05-15-at-1.03.00-PM1.png)
“We understand advertisers can go direct to Twitter or Facebook to satisfy certain initiatives,” said Jarrod Dicker, director of mobile and social products at Time Inc. “So can we. We want to bring our brand and clients’ brands together, to be able to drive more engagement to what advertisers can do on social.”
The move is part of a larger Time Inc effort, and across other magazine groups, to find ways to pair editorial content and brands with advertisers in novel ways. The social extension is part of its “amplify” ad product that puts Time Inc editorial content within ad units.
“We want to treat this the same way as broadcast advertising on the Web and charge based on amplification of that message,” Dicker said.
More in Media
![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2022/10/IMG_3432.jpg?w=439&h=277&crop=1)
AI Briefing: How political startups are helping small political campaigns scale content and ads with AI
With about 100 days until Election Day, politically focused startups see AI as a way to help national and local candidates quickly react to unexpected change.
![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/11/groupm-sandbox-digiday.jpeg?w=439&h=277&crop=1)
Media Briefing: Publishers reassess Privacy Sandbox plans following Google’s cookie deprecation reversal
Google’s announcement on Monday to reverse its plans to fully deprecate third-party cookies from its Chrome browser seems to have, in turn, reversed some publishers’ stances on the Privacy Sandbox.
![](https://digiday.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2023/11/Google_cookie_digiday.jpg?w=439&h=277&crop=1)
Why Google’s cookie deprecation reversal isn’t actually a reprieve for publishers
Publishers are keeping a “business as usual” approach to testing cookieless alternatives despite Google’s announcement that it won’t be fully deprecating third-party cookies after all.