NATIVE
ADVERTISING
Advertising That Fits the Experience. Instead of interrupting the content someone is already consuming, native ads are designed to fit naturally within the website, article, feed or digital environment where they appear.
What is Native Advertising?
Native advertising is a form of paid digital advertising designed to match the look, feel and experience of the content around it.
You may have seen native ads while reading an article or browsing a website without knowing what the format was called. Instead of appearing as a traditional banner beside the content, native advertising becomes part of the browsing experience.
The goal isn't to hide the fact that it's advertising. It's to make the advertising feel relevant to what someone is already doing.
Where Do Native Ads Appear?
Native advertising can appear throughout the digital content people already consume.
Inside news + publisher websites
within content feeds
below or alongside articles
within mobile content
across other publisher environements
Create a Less Disruptive Experience
Reach Customers Before They Search
Drive people to Valuable Content
Build Brand Awareness
Educate Potential Customers
Support Longer Buying Decisions
Why Do Businesses Use Native Advertising?
Native advertising works best when the message connects with what the audience actually wants to know.
“What do we want to sell?”
“What does our customer want to learn?”
Don't Just Advertise Your Business. Give People a Reason to Care.
Who sees an ad matters. But so does where they see it.
An ad surrounded by content about retirement, investing or business ownership may create a very different experience than the same ad appearing beside unrelated entertainment content.
Context Matters.
Native Advertising FAQs
What is native advertising?
Native advertising is paid advertising designed to match the format and experience of the content surrounding it.
Native ads may appear within content feeds, publisher websites, recommended-content sections and other digital environments while still being identified as advertising or sponsored content.
Why is it called native advertising?
It's called “native” because the advertising is designed to feel native to the environment where it appears.
Rather than using the same fixed banner design everywhere, native formats adapt to the layout and content experience of the publisher or platform.
What does a native ad look like?
Native ads often include an image, headline, short description, advertiser name and sponsorship or advertising disclosure.
The exact appearance varies based on the website, publisher and advertising format.
Where do native ads appear?
Native ads can appear within publisher websites, article feeds, content-recommendation areas, mobile environments and other digital content experiences.
Available placements vary by advertising platform and publisher inventory.
Are native ads supposed to look like regular articles?
Native ads are designed to visually fit with surrounding content, but they should not deceive someone into believing paid advertising is independent editorial content.
Appropriate advertising or sponsorship disclosures should make the commercial nature of the content clear.
Is native advertising the same as sponsored content?
Sponsored content can be a type of native advertising, but native advertising is a broader category.
Native formats can include in-feed ads, recommendation units, promoted content and other paid placements designed to match the surrounding experience.
What is the difference between native and display advertising?
Display ads typically appear in defined advertising spaces and visually stand apart from surrounding content.
Native ads are designed to match the format and experience of the surrounding content.
An easy distinction is:
Display stands beside the content. Native fits within the content experience.
Can native advertising target specific audiences?
Yes.
Depending on the platform and campaign, native advertising may use geographic, contextual, behavioral, interest, intent, retargeting and other audience strategies.
Can native advertising target local customers?
Yes.
Geographic targeting can make native advertising useful for local and regional businesses that want to focus campaigns around defined markets or service areas.
Do I need an article to run native advertising?
Not always.
Native ads can lead to different types of destinations depending on the campaign.
However, educational or useful content can be particularly effective when the campaign is designed to reach customers during the research and consideration stages.
