Ad, Article or Both Understanding Native Advertising

Native advertising can be lucrative for both brands looking to boost their sales and publishers. But it’s a form of marketing that’s often not well understood and, for many, controversial. It’s not traditional advertising and it’s not content marketing – so, what exactly is it? Simply put, native ads are advertisements in disguise, designed to blend in so well with a publication’s content that they seem to be an impartial part of the publication. There’s no denying the power of native advertising – one study showed that they are viewed 53 percent more frequently than traditional digital ads. However, they also bring up ethical concerns that may give you pause. Types of native advertising You’re probably familiar with some forms of native advertising: articles labeled â€Å"sponsored content,† â€Å"brought to you by†¦Ã¢â‚¬  and more. However, the definition actually stretches further. The whole point of native advertising is to blend in and match the form of the content surrounding it, so it can be a bit tricky to some spot native ads â€Å"in the wild.† Don’t let the camouflage confuse you -– here’s a field guide to some common forms of native advertising, as defined by the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB): In-feed units This content shows up in a stream, blog or news feed as if it were part of the publisher’s original content, but it’s actually sponsored content. Recommendation units These paid content recommendations appear at the end of an article you’ve just read, usually under the heading â€Å"You may also like† or â€Å"Suggested for you†. One of the first and most popular types of native advertising, paid search ads will appear at the top of a user’s search results, both on the major search engine sites as well as an individual website’s search. In-ad with native elements These native ads look like traditional ads, but they’re contextually relevant to the publisher. For example, a website for user-submitted beauty product reviews might contain ads for a specific brand of makeup. Promoted listings Promoted listings are a bit like paid search ads, except they appear on ecommerce sites. These listings show up first on a category page. Custom ads A bit of a catch-all term, custom ads include any contextual ads that don’t fit the other five categories. Is it ethical? While they can be highly effective in engaging potential customers, one of the key concerns surrounding native advertising is the potential for deception. Readers trust that news sources are unbiased and sometimes cannot tell a native ad from true editorial content. While a full-disclosure approach seems like the obvious solution, there’s a reason brands often shy away from it. One study showed five identical versions of a native ad on a website, with the only difference being the disclosure label. Over 39 percent of participants reported that they noticed the ad when it was labeled â€Å"Presented by.† However, only 23 percent noticed it when it was labeled â€Å"Advertisement.† These findings confirm that people tend to ignore ads, but they are drawn to authoritative content. Make it clear Whether you love it, hate it or are just beginning to understand it, native advertising is here to stay. At times, this form of marketing may tread into some murky ethical waters, but it’s possible for brands to take the high road. The key to ethical native advertising is to make it clear to readers that content is sponsored.