They hype train behind native advertising is reaching all time highs. With good reason too. It’s a growing specialization that media buyers are starting to pay attention to. Some are even putting a death clock on banner ads because of the movement. So what’s the hype all about? Let’s take a look.
What Is Native Marketing?
Well, it’s defined differently by different people. Here’s a definition by Dan Greenberg on Techcrunch.com
Native advertising is defined as ad strategies that allow brands to promote their content into the endemic experience of a site in a non-interruptive, integrated way.
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That’s a mouthful for sure. Here’s another definition by Solve Media and Column Five via Contently.com
Native advertising is a specific mode of monetization that aims to augment user experience by providing value through relevant content delivered in-stream.
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Wow – these folks really know how to complicate things.
Personally I find the first definition to be the easiest to grasp. Basically native advertising is when you promote a tweet, or you guest post on someone elses site, or you pay promote your Youtube video. It’s content that you pay to bring attention to within the site you’re advertising on. That’s what they mean by “native.” It’s their site, their formatting, and your advertising dollars.
Here’s yet another definition that may make more sense after reading this far.
“Advertising that takes advantage of a platform in the ways consumers are actually using it.”
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What Makes It Special?
Again, that really depends on who you talk to. Some are simply chalking up the “native advertising” trend to an evolved form of the advertorial.
Other’s believe it’s the perfect antithesis to disruptive marketing strategies like banner ads. It’s stealthy. It’s somewhat “hidden” within the user experience. Those are exact reasons some experts believe this style of advertising will excel in 2013.
Types of Native Advertising Opportunities
Currently the most popular forms are Facebook promoted posts, Twitter’s promoted tweets, and Youtube’s promoted videos. However, more are jumping on the native ad bandwagon. For example Buzzfeed has launched it’s own native ad system.
Criticism
Not everyone is on the native advertising bandwagon. Some believe it’s going to be a nightmare to scale (I read that as an opportunity). Some believe it’s no different than an advertorial and it’s business as usual.
Whatever the opinions are. One thing’s for sure. Native ads are here to stay and will only become more powerful as these open platforms like Facebook continue to make strides implementing them.
