The New York Times: The Role Model for Sage Brands

If you were to ask someone to name a newspaper, the one that nearly everyone can identify is The New York Times. Whether or not you read a newspaper regularly, the “Times” is established in the American mind as the iconic source of journalism. Whether or not you even like The New York Times, you cannot diminish the prominence that the company has risen to in the country.

The Times has been dedicated to bringing readers the truth since issues were sold for a penny in 1851. It was praised early on for its objective reporting and absence of over-dramatization, two values it continues to profess today. Nearly 170 years later, The Times has over 150 million monthly readers and 4.9 million subscribers. Though this does not make The New York Times the most circulated newspaper in the world, the brand’s professional recognition does make it the most awarded. The New York Times company has been awarded 127 Pulitzer Prizes for journalism during its life which is nearly twice as much as the second most-awarded paper.

The mission of The New York Times is stated this way: “We seek the truth and help people understand the world.” This is the sole purpose of a Sage brand archetype. The company seeks to enrich the lives of readers by keeping them informed. It advocates for the spread of impartial truth to the far reaches of the world. By pronouncing core values such as independence, curiosity, and integrity, The Times continues to have a reputation of wisdom and dependability in the eyes of millions of readers.

Let’s look at how The New York Times utilizes its sage status to sustain its vast readership.

The Gothic typeface of The New York Times logo gives the company the feel of an old, enduring institution. The audience perceives wisdom, honor, and the prestige that comes with long-lasting organizations. All of these things give the company credibility and convince readers to trust The Times. Crisp black letters convey a formal, buttoned-up, and down-to-business approach.

Advertising

In two ads from two different time periods, you can see the two aims of a sage brand: discovering the truth and sharing it with others. In this 2019 ad, The New York Times company shows the lengths that it is willing to go to to discover the truth. With video and quick, headline-like phrases, the ad documents the investigation that reporter Rukmini Callimachi conducted on ISIS. The journalist camped out in a warzone and searched 92 ISIS sites before hitting a dead end. After waiting six months in New York for a new lead, she returned to Iraq and found a briefcase containing valuable ISIS documents in a destroyed building. She reported her findings in her article titled “The ISIS Files” which was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.

It is hard to think of more extreme lengths to go to in order to report a story. Callimachi was willing to endanger her own life and take on one of the most violent terror groups on earth to uncover ISIS brutality.  The company uses heart-pounding techniques like intense music, choppy headlines, and dramatic images to make the audience feel the danger that The New York Times endures to report the news. The Times shows all of this to the audience to communicate their dedication to uncovering the truth.

This ad from 1986 takes about as different an approach as is possible. At a suburban home, a son gets an issue of The New York Times off the porch and gives it to his father. The paper is then passed around to every member of the family, each of them reading what is important to them. The audience watches while a voice explains all the ways that The New York Times can make a difference in their lives. The father reads The Times while the family pleasantly prepares for dinner, and the narrator concludes with the slogan “It adds life to your life.”

While the recent ad portrays The New York Times as a discoverer of the facts, the 1986 ad reveals the company’s archetypal goal of bettering people’s lives by teaching them the facts. The Times wants to provide people a way to “soften the edges and make life a little more interesting and a little more enjoyable.” Gaining the ideas and information in the Times can “help you make more of each day.” This is a very different idea than The Times battling ISIS, but it is an appealing one to average Americans who want to keep up with the news. General life improvement, knowledge, and stimulation are the promises of a Sage brand. Paired with the stubborn devotion to truth communicated in the 2019 ad, The New York Times presents itself as a premier example of the archetype.

Brand Voice

In its recent advertisements, The New York Times Company has presented itself as a committed authority on truth. Its voice reflects that by sounding strong and highly direct. All of its claims are punchy, with each word carrying its own weight. It speaks in language not unlike its dramatic headlines and presents its information as unquestionable facts. Because the company deals with matters of knowledge and truth, it uses an assured, steady, and confident voice.

Public Perception

As a media outlet, it is impossible to have the approval of every American. Because it is in the business of speaking on controversial issues and subjects people are invested in, there are people with negative views of the company. Still, The New York Times is considered an American institution and is historically respected by the masses. People view the company as important and influentials — even when they disagree with it. The credibility and respect it receives classifies the company as one of the most powerful sage brands today.

Top 3 Lessons Sage Brands Can Learn from The New York Times:

1. Adopt a firm voice in all of your advertising. Because you are dealing with matters of fact and knowledge, you don’t want to sound as if you are unsure about what you teach audiences or worried of offending. Win your audience’s confidence by sounding confident.
2. Sage brands must tell customers why they should be interested in the brand’s knowledge. Illustrate how being more informed or adopting a new idea will benefit them.
3. Part of being a Sage is telling the truth in the face of hard disagreement. Don’t let fear of opposition stop you from teaching the perspective you think is true.

Could your brand be a “Sage” brand like The New York Times?

Take Ardent’s Brand Personality Quiz to find out which of the 12 brand archetypes you represent.