What is Native Advertising? Platforms, Examples, and Benefits
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Brands need strong analytics and optimization to understand which ads work and how to improve. It is important to understand the possible risks of native advertising and plan ways to avoid problems. This versatility helps with optimization and allows brands to reach people in different ways.
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Read on to learn more about what native advertising is and how it can help your business. It’s worth noting, however, that the appeal of native advertising hasn’t completely erased the distinction between editorial content and advertising on websites where native ads have been used. Indeed, according to a recent survey from web recommendation platform and native advertising specialist Outbrain, 75% of consumers trust the content of native ads. Native ads help brands and businesses engage their audiences with relevant, compelling content via high quality websites, targeted to users who are most likely to be interested. The ability to scale your native advertising while targeting the right consumers is possible with programmatic native advertising.
Programmatic advertising has seen double-digit growth year-over-year for multiple years, with total spend expected to pass $200 billion in the U.S. and $493 billion globally in 2023. Given the speed of technological change and the potential for publisher partnerships, the IAB’s last type of native advertising leaves the door open for a range of possibilities. This type of native advertising looks just like any other ad you might see online. In-feed native advertising units are similar to the scenario we outlined above. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has identified the following six types of native advertising. A study by Taboola found that native ads were more effective than the industry average at raising brand favorability, message association, and customer consideration.
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Native advertising vs. display advertising
Just like other digital marketing channels, you can measure native advertising’s effectiveness in terms of data. It’s meant to solidify a brand’s reputation and create an ongoing relationship with customers through different media and channels (which could include native advertising.) While it certainly has its advantages, it’s not meant to replace content marketing. As mentioned earlier, the first step in successful native advertising is choosing the proper channel. Seeing as it’s October at the time of writing this, some horror games automatically display to fit the theme of Halloween. While the last two aren’t necessarily native, if you keep scrolling to read the article, you’ll come across other naturally incorporated video ads that blend right in with the surrounding content.
It’s also fully measurable with viewability, brand lift, incrementality, and attention metrics. It consistently earns higher-quality attention than standard display because it fits the reading or viewing context. Create tailored messaging and experiences for consumers at scale AI-powered planning, optimization and measurement in one platform. Native embodies that approach, which is why it’s primed to lead. ⚡ In 2026 and beyond, the most effective spend will back story-led, user-first campaigns.
It’s a complementary format that fits the surrounding content and earns attention by feeling natural to the experience. ⚡ If you use AI Digital’s Elevate, you can centralize planning, forecasting, optimization, and cross-channel analytics, and ingest third-party verification data (e.g., native advertising Moat or IAS) for optimization and reporting. IAB’s State of Data reporting and Tech Lab guidance provide additional direction on ID alternatives and privacy-safe signals.
Streaming platforms and smart TV interfaces increasingly offer sponsored content rows or recommendation-style placements that feel like part of the browsing experience. High-quality sponsored content can continue attracting readers long after the initial campaign flight ends, particularly when hosted on a publisher's site. Native advertising offers inherent advantages here because placements integrate tightly with publisher content, providing greater control over context and quality.
Affordability of Native Advertising
Without metrics, you will have no idea whether you are making smart advertising investments or achieving your target ROI. You should identify where those consumers are in the marketing funnel, what their needs are, how much they know about your business, and how you can help them. To create an effective native advertising campaign, you need to first identify who you are trying to reach with your ads. Additionally, native ads offer the flexibility to target specific audiences on a granular level, based on contextual signals that indicate interests, and purchase intent, ensuring that your message reaches the right people at the right time. Disclosure labels such as “Sponsored by,” “Partner content,” “Recommended by,” or simply “Ad,” are frequently used, which is why native advertising is also known as Sponsored Content, Partner Content, or Branded Content.
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- Gathering this data will help you choose the best platform and create content your audience won’t skip or block.
- Done well, it improves visibility in trusted environments, strengthens mid-funnel intent, and lowers acquisition costs as you refine targeting and creative.
- Whether an effective disclosure informing consumers of the video’s commercial nature would be necessary depends upon reasonable consumer expectations.
- A pre-roll video ad on a streaming service is a form of display marketing, while a brand-integrated content segment within a show mirrors the ethos of native advertising.
Much of the success of native ads can be attributed to their ability to blend quality with relevance. Simply put, consumers are less likely to be fatigued by ads if they feel less advertised to. Native ads can help advertisers revitalise flagging consumer engagement resulting from ad fatigue by offering content that is both interesting and new, in a context that seems natural and, therefore, acceptable. As previously mentioned, ad fatigue is when consumers become tired of display ads, eventually ignoring or avoiding them altogether. Here are just some of the key reasons why advertisers and publishers are shifting towards native advertising in such a big way.
Publift has helped its clients realise an average 55% increase in ad revenue since 2015, through the use of cutting-edge programmatic advertising technology paired with impartial and ethical guidance. Publift helps digital publishers get the most out of the ads on their websites. Native ads are increasingly the medium of choice for many publishers and marketers, thanks to their ability to connect with audiences in a personalised, natural way. With the increasing popularity of mobile apps, in-app native ads have become a crucial revenue stream for publishers. Native display ads offer higher CTRs and increased brand recognition for publishers while reaching target audiences effectively.
A misrepresentation is material if it is likely to affect consumers’ choices or conduct regarding an advertised product or the advertising for the product. Nor does it provide a safe harbor from potential liability under Section 5 of the FTC Act. The third part features staff guidance on how to make clear and conspicuous disclosures within the format of native advertising. This Guide for Businesses supplements the Enforcement Policy Statement by offering informal guidance from FTC staff to help companies apply the Policy Statement in day-to-day contexts in digital media.
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By seamlessly integrating ads directly into video content, publishers can provide a non-intrusive user experience. They generate additional revenue while enhancing user experience by featuring products or services at the top of relevant search results or category pages. Promoted listings offer advertisers a prominent position within a publisher's website or app. Sponsored articles, videos, or infographics enhance user engagement and provide a win-win situation for both publishers and advertisers. Depending on how specific their advertising content is, advertisers need to ensure that the platform they choose will reach their audience. For publishers, there are a variety of ad networks that can help them display high-quality native ads.
We are living in a visual world, and images are an incredibly important part of native advertising. We love this example by Australian tourism company Love Central Coast, who used the Outbrain Carousel ad experience to showcase the most scenic picnic spots on the New South Wales Central Coast. A great way to understand native advertising is to see it in action. Not surprising then that native ad spend in the US is expected to increase by 21% this year. Online shopping peaked, meetings moved to Zoom, and consumers became more reliant on the internet for just about every daily need. When you’re creating copy for your native social ads, use this as a guide for how to do ‘funny’ the right way.