Native Advertising

Even if you have well-optimized creative that demands user attention, that attention won’t always translate to engagement.

To avoid ads that feel disruptive or unnatural, try native ads. Native ads offer an approach that feels like a natural extension of the user's journey. Advertisers who use a mix of banner ads and native ads can craft a better narrative that drives meaningful interactions.

What Is Native Advertising?

Native advertising is a digital advertisement that blends into a website or mobile app’s natural flow of content. This type of advertising uses identifiers like “Suggested Posts” or “Sponsored Content” to distinguish itself from organic content while matching a platform’s look and feel.

Native advertising emphasizes better user experience by being less disruptive or jarring. It complements traditional ads without detracting from their ability to capture attention.

There are a few types of native ads, all subtly integrated messages that add value without intruding and are marked by discreet labels that signify they’re paid ads.

Different Types of Native Ads

In-feed/In-content ads

In-feed native ads are positioned within article and content feeds (such as news or social media feeds) to ensure they flow with the surrounding content. These ads mimic the platform’s design and function; they’re often labeled as “sponsored” or “promoted” to maintain transparency.

In-feed native ads come in a variety of formats:

• Static images

• Videos

• Interactive elements

• Headlines

The goal is to capture the user’s attention without disrupting their engagement with the content stream.

On the other hand, in-content native ads are integrated directly within individual pieces of content:

• News articles

• Blog posts

• Editorial features

These ads are placed between paragraphs or after, ensuring they complement the narrative of the page. In-content native ads match the visual and editorial style of the surrounding content, making them indistinguishable from organic content at first glance.

In-feed and in-content native ads are both delivered programmatically. Platforms that offer them use real-time bidding to optimize placement and targeting, and advertisers can tailor native ad campaigns based on audience demographics, interests, behaviors, and contextual relevance. More personalized ads means more engagement and higher conversion rates.

Content recommendation ads

Content recommendation ads suggest relevant content to users based on browsing behavior and preferences. These ads usually appear as widgets within a webpage under labels like “Recommended for you” or “You might also like.”

Unlike traditional ads being overtly promotional, content recommendation ads try to better align with user interests. These ads also allow users to direct themselves to an external page or URL within the source publisher’s website, maintaining customer journey flow while still being transparent.

Branded/native content

Branded native content — also known as brand content, sponsored content, or custom content — involves collaboration between brands and publishers to create paid content disguised into the publisher’s site.

Advertisers can use branded content to complement their owned content assets. Making branded content is more involved than other forms of native advertising. Typically, publishers work in collaboration with the brand or by specialized content marketing agencies.

Branded content involves careful scheduling, tracking, and reporting, usually with a lot of manual effort. All this management is usually supported and facilitated by the publisher or the content marketing agency — it’s not something that’s usually offered programmatically.

The benefit to a highly collaborative approach is it ensures that the content meets both the brand’s objectives and the publisher’s standards.

Advantages of Native Advertising

Since native ads blend in with surrounding content, you need to brainstorm images, titles, and descriptions that will match user preferences without feeling obtrusive. With the right approach, native advertising has an array of benefits:

Blending in vs. standing out

Since native ads mimic the look and feel of the platform they appear on, this approach avoids feeling disruptive. Traditional display ads, on the other hand, are designed to stand out. A good ad strategy involves a mix of the two, allowing native ads to blend in with editorial content and appear organically.

More attention

Users see native ads as less intrusive. This non-disruptive nature encourages higher engagement levels: native ads are 53% more likely to be looked at than display ads.

Access to high-value publishers

Native advertising gives you access to premium publishers, including well-known platforms like CNN, Forbes, and The New York Times. Native ads can reach targeted audiences interested in specific topics or industries on high-traffic websites.

Scalable content deployment

Native advertising is scalable. You can run content and creative assets across multiple platforms without needing significant adjustments. Scalability means it’s easier for you to reach a broader audience and optimize campaigns for different channels. Less effort but higher engagement? Yes, please.

Enhanced brand affinity and conversion

Native ads provide value and relevance to users. If you use less intrusive ads, users are less likely to feel ad fatigue or grow frustrated with your brand. Native ads generate higher brand recall, conversion rates, and positive sentiment among audiences.

Pro Tip: Scale your campaigns and achieve superior results by tapping into AdRoll’s extensive inventory, spanning multiple native ad networks. Benefit from targeted and strategic ad placements to boost brand visibility, engagement, and campaign performance.

Native Advertising vs. Other Marketing Forms

Native advertising vs. display advertising

Native and display advertising represent distinct approaches to digital marketing, each with unique advantages and considerations. 

Native ads offer several advantages over display or banner ads, particularly regarding user engagement. According to research, native ads outperform display ads significantly in terms of consumer attention and response. Statistics reveal that consumers engage with native ads 53% more frequently than display ads, indicating a strong preference for content that blends naturally with the platform’s editorial flow. 

One key aspect differentiating native ads is their intentional design, which resembles organic content rather than traditional advertisements. Major social media platforms like X (formerly Twitter) and  Facebook have embraced native advertising formats, recognizing their ability to enhance ad performance and user satisfaction. This strategic alignment with the platform’s natural environment contributes to native ads’ higher engagement rates than display ads.

However, compared to display ads, native ads may offer less control over ad design. Display ads, known for their visually striking nature and immediate impact, allow for more customized and attention-grabbing creatives. Yet, this visual appeal of display ads can sometimes result in a more intrusive advertising experience, potentially negatively affecting user engagement.

Native advertising vs. social media advertising

Native and social media advertising share similarities by camouflaging into the user experience and creating a cohesive online environment. In-feed social ads, such as sponsored posts on platforms like Facebook and Instagram, mirror native ads’ integration strategy. Both ads aim to provide users with a more natural and non-disruptive advertising experience.

However, the primary differences lie in their placement and campaign objectives. Social media advertising operates within a closed ecosystem, exclusively targeting users on specific social networks. In contrast, native ads have a broader reach, appearing on various websites and apps across the open web. Social advertising campaign goals often revolve around building brand followings within social networks, fostering engagement, and increasing visibility within a platform. On the other hand, native ads typically focus on directing potential customers to the advertiser’s website, engaging them with relevant content, and driving conversions based on user interests and behaviors. 

Native advertising vs. contextual advertising

Contextual advertising revolves around targeting users based on the context of the content they are consuming. This approach involves analyzing the content of web pages, including keywords, topics, and themes to deliver relevant ads to users.

While native and contextual ads are distinct concepts, they can work synergistically to enhance the effectiveness of digital advertising campaigns. By combining the contextual relevance of ads with the native format’s assimilation, marketers can create highly targeted and engaging ad experiences. 

For example, a contextual advertising campaign may identify users interested in outdoor activities based on their browsing content. Native advertising ensures that ads promoting outdoor gear or experiences present in a way that aligns with the platform’s aesthetics and user expectations.

Native advertising vs. content marketing

Content marketing is a long-term strategy focused on building a loyal following of readers who trust your brand. It emphasizes credibility and expertise through valuable, high-quality content. This approach requires meticulous planning and execution, leveraging content to improve search engine rankings and enhance organic online visibility.

The fundamental difference between content marketing and native advertising lies in ownership and distribution. Content marketing revolves around owned media platforms where the organization controls content creation, format, and distribution. It’s an inbound marketing strategy to build and engage an audience on the brand’s platforms.

In contrast, native advertising falls under paid media, leveraging existing audiences on third-party platforms. While the initial investment may be higher, native advertising offers immediate exposure to established audiences, saving time and resources. It’s a way to tap into existing reader bases and achieve quicker response rates than building an audience from scratch with content marketing. 

5 Tips for Building Effective Native Advertising Campaigns

1. Ace native ad creative design

You’ll want to consider several key elements when designing your native advertising campaigns. First, avoid using company logos directly in the ad to maintain a seamless integration with the platform’s content. Second, pay close attention to image selection; choose visuals that draw attention and align with your ad’s message and the platform’s aesthetic. Finally, prioritize compelling copywriting that resonates with your target audience and complements your chosen imagery.

Pro Tip: Take advantage of our free ad creative service to nail your native advertising campaigns!

2. Target audiences across the customer journey

To maximize the effectiveness of your ads, target audiences strategically across the customer journey. Native ads offer various audience targeting options in digital advertising, such as demographic, interest-based, geographic, and lookalike targeting. Particularly effective is contextual targeting, as native ads seamlessly integrate with the surrounding content of publishers, enhancing relevance and engagement. Moreover, native advertising supports retargeting efforts, enabling advertisers to re-engage with interested audiences. By refining audience targeting through headline and image selection, native ads can cater to specific audience segments throughout the customer journey.

Pro Tip: With AdRoll’s advanced audience targeting tools, you can precisely target your audience throughout their customer journey, ensuring your native ads are seen by the right people at the right moments.

3. Invest in landing page content and user experience 

Landing pages are the pivotal point where brands and audiences interact, making them integral to achieving campaign goals, whether generating interest in products or services or building brand awareness and trust. Advertisers must understand their target audiences’ varying interests and needs across different customer journey stages. Tailoring content and messages on landing pages to engage audiences effectively at each stage fosters meaningful interactions and enhances campaign performance.

Pro Tip: Ensure your landing page content and user experience align seamlessly with AdRoll’s guidelines to create engaging interactions that drive desired outcomes.

4. Create synergy with other advertising forms

While native ads effectively engage audiences, they shouldn’t be your only advertising tool. A well-rounded digital advertising strategy incorporates multiple ad formats and channels to reach customers at various touchpoints along their journey. This strategic approach ensures that marketing efforts align with the customer’s path from brand discovery to conversion. By combining the strengths of display, native, video, and paid search ads, you can create a cohesive and comprehensive campaign that optimizes reach, engagement, and conversion rates.  

Pro Tip: Diversify your ad campaigns by leveraging AdRoll, where you can easily integrate various ad formats, such as display ads, social ads, and even email marketing.

5. Close the loop with marketing attribution 

Since native ads may not always lead to immediate conversions, marketers rely on marketing attribution software to track and attribute conversions back to different touchpoints across the customer journey. This allows them to understand the impact of native ads in influencing customer behavior and contributing to overall campaign success. By leveraging marketing attribution, marketers gain valuable insights into which elements of their native advertising strategies drive conversions, and can therefore make data-driven decisions to optimize future campaigns.

Pro Tip: Utilize AdRoll’s cross-channel attribution capabilities to optimize budget allocation and understand the impact of each advertising form. 

Native Advertising Trends

Native video ads

Native video ads are rapidly gaining traction within the advertising industry. While requiring more effort to create, these ads boast better engagement and capture more attention from audiences. The key to successful native video advertising is valuing web users’ attention and enhancing their experience, ultimately leading to improved ad recall. Brands are increasingly focusing on creating native video content that provides genuine value to users, be it through entertainment, information, or utility.

Dynamic native ads

Dynamic native ads combine the strengths of dynamic display ads with the seamless integration of native advertising. These ads typically feature one product image from your feed, a company name, a compelling title, and a concise description. They are particularly effective for retargeting campaigns, allowing brands to re-engage website visitors with personalized ads across various channels and devices. By leveraging visitor browsing activity, dynamic native ads can showcase top, recommended, or previously viewed products and services, enhancing relevance and driving higher engagement with target audiences.

Programmatic native advertising

Programmatic native advertising revolutionizes how ads are bought and sold by automating the process through real-time bidding. This method utilizes machine learning algorithms and contextual signals to customize native ads according to user behavior and placement context. As a result, programmatic native advertising ensures highly targeted and relevant ad placements at scale, leading to improved performance metrics for advertisers. This advanced technology streamlines the ad-buying process and optimizes ad delivery.

Unlocking Native Advertising Excellence with AdRoll

Native advertising has proven to be a powerful strategy for engaging audiences and effectively achieving marketing objectives. With AdRoll’s comprehensive suite of native advertising solutions, including dynamic native ads, programmatic native advertising, and more, you can explore various options to reach your target audiences with precision and impact. Discover the full potential of native advertising with AdRoll and elevate your marketing campaigns today.