The New York Times Company has released a new digital program called Ricochet, helping brands better meet audience needs by attaching advertising to Times content says Michael Zimbalist, VP of Research and Development, in his interview with Beet.TV

Traditionally, brands have purchased content to reach a publisher's specific audiences. Now with Ricochet, brands can bring new and informative content to its following, while serving its own advertising goals.

Zimbalist says the company's launch partner SAP has put the product to test by selecting articles on cloud computing, enterprise computing and mobility and attaching its advertising using Ricochet's many templates. 

The program then generates a unique link to the content with SAP branding, which the company can share via Twitter, Facebook, eNewletter, Google+ and other social media. Currently, each link is valid for a one-month, timeframe, but  that will change as the product develops.

He says the next step is for Ricochet to become a self service tool, "brands can [in the future] login, find the content they want, upload their creative, send it to us, we have an editorial checkpoint and then we make it live." 

Nitya Rajan

Editor's Note:   Welcome Nitya to Beet.TV.  She reported and wrote this story.   After graduating Columbia J School later the this month, she will be joining the purple network full time.   AP