Introduction to Native Advertising
Native advertising is a type of online advertising that blends in with the overall content of the platform or website it appears on, making it less disruptive and more engaging for users.
Think of it as sort of an advertisement ninja in that its goal is to be effective yet unseen.
Unlike traditional display ads, which are often ignored or viewed as annoying, native ads are designed to be seamless and unobtrusive agents, getting in, doing their job and getting out before being discovered; and as a result users are more likely to interact with them. Pretty sneaky, huh?
How Native Advertising Works
Native ads can take many forms, from sponsored content to product reviews, and they are usually labeled as “sponsored” or “promoted” to distinguish them from regular content (if authenticity and honesty are important for the hosting site).
The goal of native advertising is to create content that is valuable and informative to the user, while of course also promoting a brand or product.
In terms of theme and topic matter, native ads blend in with your content; so if your website is let’s say geared toward expats, than you could potentially run ads for expat services such as travel insurance. If your website is for a barber shop, than you could potentially feature ads for hair care products (or for scalp moisterizers if you’re bald like me).
Targeted Native Ads
Native ads can be targeted based on factors such as demographics, local area economic investment trends, interests, and behavior.
Native ads can be placed on a variety of platforms, including social media, news websites, and mobile apps. So let’s say that you’d like to run native ads on your own website.
That would essentially look like “product placement” in that you’d have ads for products or services related to what your website is about. A hair salon would have ads for hair products. A restaurant could have ads for foods, ingredients, and even other restaurants or bars.
Who It Is Best Suited For
Native advertising is best suited for brands that want to reach a wider audience and increase brand awareness without disrupting the user experience (often called UX). It can be particularly effective for companies in industries such as fashion, food, and travel, where visual content is important and storytelling can be used to create an emotional connection with the audience.
Native Ads Case Studies
Orange is the New Black
One example of a successful native advertising campaign is the partnership between Netflix and The New York Times. In 2016, the two companies collaborated on a series of native ads to promote the second season of the Netflix series “Orange is the New Black.” The ads, which were labeled as sponsored content, featured articles written by Times journalists that explored issues related to the show’s themes, such as race, gender, and prison reform. The campaign generated over 8 million impressions and helped to increase viewership of the show. So on one hand the Times benefitted by piggybacking on a new Netflix show, while the new show benefitted from the publicity generated from probably one of the best-known media outlets in the world.
BuzzFeed
Another example of a successful native advertising campaign is the partnership between GE and BuzzFeed. In 2014, the two companies collaborated on a series of sponsored posts that showcased the science and technology behind various GE products. The posts were designed to be informative and entertaining, and they were customized to fit BuzzFeed’s quirky, “buzzy” style. The campaign generated over 700,000 views and helped to increase brand awareness for GE.
In a secondary example involving BuzzFeed, the popular media company known for its viral content and quizzes, had a section on its website dedicated to sponsored content. One example is a series of articles created in partnership with Purina, a pet food company. The articles include various topics related to pets, such as “15 Puppies Who Are Making The World A Better Place,” and “11 Simple Tips For Keeping Your Senior Cat Healthy And Happy.” The articles are labeled as “Sponsored by Purina” and appear alongside BuzzFeed’s regular content. Now since Buzzfeed is known for that type of entertaining content focused on giving diversion, the partnership fit in with their brand very nicely and is almost unnoticable to the common reader.
Narcos
In another secondary example involving the New York times, the legendary newspaper created a series of articles in partnership with Netflix to promote the release of the show “Narcos: Mexico.” The articles cover topics related to the show, such as the history of drug trafficking in Mexico and the rise of the Guadalajara Cartel. The articles are labeled as “Paid Post” and appear alongside The New York Times’ regular content.
Mashable
Finally, Mashable’s sponsored content for AT&T is another prime example of native advertising. Mashable, a media company focused on technology and entertainment news, also has a section on its website dedicated to sponsored content. In one example, Mashable created a series of articles in partnership with AT&T to promote the company’s new streaming service, DIRECTV NOW. The articles cover topics related to streaming, such as “The Best Shows To Stream On DIRECTV NOW Right Now” and “The Ultimate Guide To Cutting The Cord And Streaming Your TV.” The articles are labeled as “Promoted by DIRECTV NOW” and appear alongside Mashable’s regular content.
Native Advertising Pros and Cons
Now that we know what native advertising is, let’s review some of the ups and downs inherent in its use.
As we discussed earlier, one of the big benefits to native advertising is that it’s largely unnoticable to many website visitors who simply may or may not notice that the ad they see is not separate from your own brand or business type as it would fit in with the theme or subject matter matching your own site’s topic (and probably stated SEO as well).
Another big pro is that it’s a little bit more targeted and cost effective than running traditional ads since it’s specifically geared toward a particular theme. Your ads or the ads you’re hosting will have to match a very narrow criteria in content so it’s less likely the ads will be shown to consumers not interested in what they’re seeing. As a result of that more guided targeting and matching subject it would therefore deliver greater ROI.
Now some of the downsides or “cons,” to me would be the fact that, hey, it’s still advertising, and some websites representing serious businesses or service providers just don’t want ads on them. For example a law firm would not come across as particularly professional or trustworthy running ads for a competitor (always a consideration with native advertising in general to make sure that very specific type of ad is not run) or for that matter even a legal type of product or service.
The more professional or important a business’ services or products need to come across the less likely you may be to consider running native advertising on that site. A dentist might have ads on their site for veneers or something related such as toothpastes or mouthwashes, but again, would that come across as potentially tacky to consumers? It might.
This speaks to trustworthiness as the more important trust is to a brand, the less likely you probably would be to run native advertising on that site. You wouldn’t want a consumer to confuse your services with that of a competitor or similarly-themed company that may or may not have a stellar reputation.
So while native advertising could work great for a website such as a casual bar, local gas station, a strictly informational or entertainment website, it might not be a direct match for a business relying on consumer trust such as a Non Profit Organization, or professional service provider such as an electrician or estate planning firm. It might feel “off” in those cases.
Native Advertising’s Future
Some potential future developments for native advertising include:
- Increased personalization: Native advertising may become more tailored to individual users based on their browsing history, preferences, and behavior.
- Integration with emerging technologies: As new technologies like augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) become more popular, native advertising may incorporate these technologies to create immersive and engaging experiences for users.
- Greater emphasis on authenticity: Consumers are increasingly demanding authenticity from brands, and native advertising may need to focus on providing genuine value and information to users to be effective.
- Increased use of AI and automation: Native advertising may become more automated and AI-driven, allowing for greater efficiency and scale in targeting and creating ads.
- Expansion to new platforms: Native advertising is already prevalent on websites and social media platforms, but it may expand to new platforms like smart speakers and connected TV devices.
Overall, the future of native advertising is likely to involve a continued focus on personalization, authenticity, and innovative technology to create more engaging and effective ads.