JPMorgan Chase & Co.?s Chase Sapphire, a rewards card targeting affluent consumers, is the exclusive launch sponsor of The New York Times Editors? Choice application for Apple?s iPad.

The New York Times Editors? Choice application offers a selection of the latest news, business and technology news, opinion and features chosen by Times editors that can be downloaded automatically to iPad. The Editors? Choice application launches with a full-page vertical and horizontal interstitial ad that provides a large interactive canvas for Chase Sapphire.

?We do a lot of advertising already with the New York Times, in the magazine and print edition, so sponsoring the New York Times? iPad app was a natural extension,? said Christopher Morris, senior marketing manager at Chase Card Services, Wilmington, DE. ?We were especially drawn to the fact we could be the exclusive advertiser, as a clutter-free environment is hard to come by these days.

?Our core customer is affluent and on the go, so the New York Times and the iPad are a great fit for us,? he said. ?Chase Sapphire is a rewards card with excellent around-the-clock customer service, and the iPad audience is similar?people who want information when they want it, where they want it.?

Chase Sapphire is the premier rewards card from Chase Card Services that includes travel services, incentives through Chase?s Ultimate Rewards program and direct access to a dedicated service team 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

The New York Times is using mobile ad platform Medialets to measure their audience and serve in-application ads that the company claims outperform online rich media by an average of 2.5 times.

Chase what matters on the iPad
Chase Sapphire will be the exclusive sponsor of the New York Times iPad application for at least 60 days.

Ad agency T3 and Medialets collaborated on the design of the Chase Sapphire ad units.

The card issuer?s goal is to drive users to a landing page to get more information about Chase Sapphire and apply for the card via a link on that page.

The opening interstitial ad unit is optimized for the iPad?s functionality. Depending on how a user tilts the iPad, a different reward will show up, spilling out of each side of the Chase Sapphire card.

There are 12 different rewards that the ad promotes related to airlines, resorts, ski trips, even romantic dates.

In addition to the interstitials, the campaign also includes half-page ads and banner ads with both landscape and portrait versions.

?We?re very excited about the iPad, because Apple has a consistent track record for being out in front of new technologies, and with the New York Times? uncluttered environment where people will be spending time, it is great for us,? Mr. Morris said.

?We certainly want to be learning and out front of the learning curve, and the iPad is generating a lot of buzz, interest and hand-along value, with people showing it to friends and relatives as well,? he said.

The iPad is the Editors? Choice
The Editors? Choice application delivers two pages of content with the top eight-to-ten articles in latest news, business, technology, opinion and feature sections from the Times with accompanying videos and photo slideshows.
 
The New York Times Editors? Choice application takes advantage of the device?s large screen display and video and slideshow capabilities.

The initial version of the application is free and advertising supported. The Times is also planning a full, paid application for iPad as part of its overall strategy.
 
Features of the application include simple navigation, letting users read articles and view videos and slideshows using the iPad?s navigation capabilities and multi-touch screen.

The application enables offline reading, letting users download and sync articles and images to their iPad device for viewing offline or in airplane mode.

Share options include the ability to email articles to friends from the application. 

The New York Times Editors? Choice app is available for download at the iPad App Store.

The Times worked with Medialets to develop the two new rich-media ad units that leverage the creative capabilities of the iPad. 

?The iPad presents a unique set of opportunities for advertisers and an absolutely stunning palette on which to deliver their messages,? said Eric Litman, chairman/CEO of Medialets, New York. ?We worked closely with the Chase Sapphire team to find the right intersection of where they wanted their brand to be and how to leverage the unique capabilities of the iPad platform.

?The result is an ad that offers something that can't be done on television or on the desktop Web: physical engagement,? he said. ?The brand community frequently speaks of the distinction between consumers sitting back versus leaning forward for engagement.

?Chase's iPad interstitial goes well beyond this to a tangible, hands-on experience.?