Dive Brief: 

• The New York Times has changed the design on sponsored posts from brand advertisers to be a bit more subtle. 
• When the sponsored posts debuted in January of this year, the articles were surrounded in a blue outline, featuring a strong label at the top with wording like "Paid For And Posted By Dell."
• Some advertisers argued that the strict labeling drove readers away before they had a chance to decide if the content was valuable, and the latest update does away with the blue border while shortening the label to "Paid Post." A T Studio logo appears if the Times' in-house studio created the ad. 

Dive Insight: 

As a highly respected publication, The New York Times was trying to be crystal clear in its native ad practices so as not to mislead readers. What it likely discovered was that the ads weren't effective if the labeling was too distracting — particularly the bold, blue border. The new labeling is still clear, but done in a more discreet and tasteful way that will help lend a bit of credibility to the content.