Time Inc.’s mobile-first auto site The Drive has officially launched
Time Inc.’s new automotive site The Drive, the first editorial project to come out of its recently launched content marketing studio The Foundry, is now live.
The publishing company’s venture into the car space comes as it consolidates its native ad studio, content marketing unit and new editorial verticals like The Drive under The Foundry’s roof, which will move to Time Inc.’s new office in Brooklyn later this year to “encourage a highly creative and innovative environment.”
Mike Guy, who previously served as digital director of Maxim, will serve as The Drive’s editor while former deputy editor of BBC Autos Jonathan Schultz is joining to take on the same role. The site has a team of 15 editorial staffers, with two of them focused on video.
Matt Bean, Time Inc’s senior vice president of editorial innovation, told The Drum that working alongside the technologists, writers, and developers that make up The Foundry's content unit will help The Drive work towards its goal of “being able to leverage those teams when warranted to both bring content to our readers and serve the needs of our advertising partners.”
He also said The Drive aims to cover the automotive sector in a way that other publications are not, taking the focus away from what happens in the garage or on the track and instead focusing on trends and elements that young people are curious about.
“They’re curious about cars and they want to read about cars in a way that appeals to them. They want to know what they can do with the car, how easy it is to power all of your friends’ iPhones,” he said.
In a more general sense, Bean said the automotive sector is changing like never before, making it “fertile ground for journalism.”
“If you think about some of the major transitions that have occurred over the past 100 years, we’re at a point where things like autonomous driving and electric cars are changing our relationship with transportation in general,” he said.
Video will also be a crucial element. Both news-driven and feature videos will appear on The Drive as the new site and many of Time Inc.’s other brands prioritize being digital-first – although Bean said he’d be interested in exploring print elements down the line.
In terms of advertising, The Drive will run display ads and channel sponsorships and while it does not currently have a dedicated team of its own to work with brands on creating content, it will work with The Foundry to create opportunities for advertisers.