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 “sponsored content,” “brought to you by…” 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 “in the wild.”