Top 10 Masterpieces of Native Advertising
Some of the best native ads we’ve seen online so far.
Native advertising is a notoriously vague term. It’s commonly defined as an unobtrusive sponsored content that is just as engaging and informative as the usual content served by the publisher. We think that this definition is alright, but it’s always better to back it up with examples. We’ve picked some of the better native advertising pieces out there to learn from and enjoy.
10. A Fresh Look
The Milk Processor Education Program (MilkPEP) and the New York Times published a story about milk supply chain titled “A Fresh Look”. This native ad has basically everything it should: nice photos from real sites, interesting facts about milk and people who drink it, creative sketches, personal quotes and a video.
“A Fresh Look” is a good read, but not exactly fascinating as an ad. After all, one might argue that making a native advertising campaign where you don’t need to advertise any particular brand isn’t all that hard.
9. Designing for the Future
“Designing for the Future” by Volvo and The Atlantic is a story about innovation in the past and the challenges designers will face in the future. The article touches upon certain important inventions including those made by Volvo and explains what we will have to do improve our technology and society.
It’s got pretty images reminiscent of the 20th century modern art, quotes from industry experts, and facts. Yet, the space taken by purely decorative images could’ve worked better if used for infographics and other useful things. The aim of this native ad is to show Volvo’s interest in innovation and, as you figure out by the end of the article, to promote their new SUV. While the former is subtly woven into the story, the latter simply hits you like a freight train when you hit the bottom of the page.
8. Via an Island of Hope, a New Home
“Via an Island of Hope, a New Home” by Airbnb and The New York Times tells a story about Ellis Island and almost a century of immigration to New York. The article is full of historic photos and documents and heart-wrenching personal stories from people who had experienced immigration themselves. It also has a nicely made infographic map visualizing the main immigration routes.
The advertising part of the article tells about the present days of immigration. Authors present the story of an immigrant couple who used Airbnb for their first nights in New York and later became hosts themselves. That’s quite an elegant way to present the brand and associate it with heart-warming feelings of hope and home.
7. Blood, Sweat and Data
“Blood, Sweat and Data” produced by IBM and The Atlantic is a four-part longread about technology and innovation in sports. The article has personal stories, quotes, and photos, but the main course here is a whole lot of data, presented as statistics and infographics. For those into numbers and stats this might be a royal feast.
This article is an example of utilizing what you’ve already got to great effect. IBM already has this big data in their pockets, so all they had to do is make it into a proper story.
6. Serena Williams’ Match Point
“Serena Williams’ Match Point” made by PepsiCo’s Gatorade is a 8-bit retro-looking game featured on Snapchat to cheer for Serena Williams while she was going for the 23rd Grand Slam title. Each of 22 levels of the game represents one of the previous wins of the famous tennis player, who also happened to be sponsored by Gatorade.
Gatorade had a very successful marketing campaign on Snapchat and pushed the boundaries of what we call native advertising. Also videogames are cool.
5. Coerced
“Coerced” by Netflix and The Atlantic is a story about the Central Park Five, a group of boys who were accused of a crime they didn’t commit, and the methods policemen used to make them confess.
The article includes details about the investigation, perspectives from experts in law and psychology, and quotes from the accused themselves. It raises awareness about important yet grim topics, and does a very good job of presenting information with pictures and audio records. And in the end it calls you to watch Netflix’s original series about the events.
4. Cocainenomics
A story that would work for an action movie serving as an ad, that’s “Cocainenomics” by Netflix and The Wall Street Journal. It is an interactive longread about the history of drug trafficking revolving around the Medellin cartel.
Authors included a whole lot of authentic photos and videos, interactive maps, timelines, and even a quiz. And the title screen is awesome, just you click on it. Also, similar to the previous example, Netflix happens to have a series about it.
3. Hacker Avenue
“Hacker Avenue” by engineering consultancy Leidos and Politico is more of an interactive infographic, than a usual article. The top part of the page represents a generic modern street and all the important things that are vulnerable to hackers. The rest of the piece is an infographic about the potential impact of hacking and efforts to fight for cybersecurity.
You click and stuff goes down, giving you the option to restore order. Of course, Leidos is just the right company to make the bad things go away. An important topic and a nice presentation with clear call to action: go and work with us or you’ll be hacked and our society will fall.
2. Women Inmates: Why the Male Model Doesn’t Work
We couldn’t leave out the classic. “Women Inmates: Why the Male Model Doesn’t Work” is a piece by Netflix and The New York Times touching upon significant issues of incarcerated women. The article includes expert opinions on the issue and perspectives from the inmates themselves, pictures and video interviews.
With the abundance of Netflix-sponsored projects on this list, one might even think that our own list is a native ad sponsored by Netflix. While that is sadly not the case, we cannot but admit that this well-researched informative piece, while being a part of the promotion campaign for the company’s comedy show, still contributes to a greater cause.
1. Energy for Life
This is the leader of our little competition. “Energy for Life” is a multimedia piece by energy conglomerate ENI promoted on CNN. It is centered around the Green River Project, a farming development program unfolding in the Niger Delta. The piece provides first-hand perspectives on the program from managers and farmers, as well as offers audio and video materials, infographics and delicious visual design.
First of all, it is nice when large corporations sponsor the efforts to improve lives in not-that-happy parts of the globe. Even if their colleagues are the ones to blame for the not-so-happiness there. Secondly, this piece does a perfect job of presenting a relatable and inspiring story while associating the emotional uplift with the Eni brand.
