Native Advertising
Learn MoreWhat Is Native Advertising?
Native advertising is the use of paid ads that match the look, feel and function of the media format in which they appear.
Native ads are often found in social media feeds, or as recommended content on a web page. Unlike display ads or banner ads, native ads don't really look like ads. They look like part of the editorial flow of the page. The key to native advertising is that it is non-disruptive - it exposes the reader to advertising content without sticking out like a sore thumb
What does Native Advertising look like?
"In Feed" Ads
Ads that appear in your news feed on social networks (ie.your Facebook or Twitter feed)
Search & Promoted Listings
Ad listings that appear at the top of your Google search results, or in the side bar
Content Recommendations
Recommended articles that appear below the article you just read.
If native advertising looks like regular content, how can I tell itâs an ad?
Hereâs the native advertising conundrum. If a native ad looks like regular content, rather than a display ad, then readers may not realize they are consuming a paid advertisement. This compromises the editorial neutrality of the publisher.
For example, imagine you clicked on an article about "The Top Five Hiking Destinations In South America", which took you to a post on the Acme Hiking Equipment blog. Itâs not the same as just reading an article on National Geographic, is it? After all, the Acme Hiking Equipment company is paying the website publisher for your click. Consumer watchdogs, such as the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), are at pains to regulate the use of native ads to ensure that consumers are not misled. Although native ads integrate smoothly into the web page, you can usually see that itâs a native ad by a few telltale signs.
Native ads may have one or more of the following distinguishing features:
The words âSuggested Postâ or "Recommended For You" or "Promoted Stories"
Small icon - if you click it, it denotes that the content block is a paid ad
The words âSponsoredâ, or a sponsorship credit
Recommended or Suggested videos
The words âSuggested Postâ or "Recommended For You" or "Promoted Stories"
Small icon - if you click it, it denotes that the content block is a paid ad
The words âSponsoredâ, or a sponsorship credit
Recommended or Suggested videos
Why are online marketers increasingly turning to Native Advertising?
- #1
Native advertising works. Consumers look at native ads 53% more than display ads. Native ads create an 18% increase in purchase intent, and the visual engagement with native ads is the same, and even slightly higher, than the original editorial content.
- #2
Native advertising fights ad fatigue. Ad fatigue is what happens when the audience gets bored with seeing ads. After a while, they simply stop paying attention. Native ads are brand exposure cloaked in editorial content, so they donât tire out the audience. As long as the content is relevant and interesting, native advertising engages the audience.
- #3
Consumers know that native ads are a form of advertising, but they donât care! In a recent study at Stanford University, researchers found that native advertising fools nobody. Consumers are well aware that they are viewing a form of advertising, however native ads still have a significant effect on purchase behavior.
The Next Step: Programmatic Native Advertising
Itâs one thing to serve native ads to your audience. Itâs quite another to serve targeted native ads to specific consumers in real time and at scale. This is what programmatic native advertising is all about, and itâs taking native advertising into completely new territory. Programmatic native advertising enables brands and businesses to optimize their native advertising ROI by using programmatic auction of native ads via RTB (Real Time Bidding).
Programmatic Native in a Nutshell
Native ads are built from a number of metadata elements, such as a headline, thumbnail image, content URL, description text, and more.
With programmatic native advertising, a user visits a website, creating space for an ad impression. The Supply Side Platform (SSP) sends bid requests on behalf of the publisher.The Demand Side Platform (DSP) responds with metadata metrics and bids on behalf of the advertiser. Based on the metadata, the SSP selects the winning bid and instantly configures the native ad via templating design to fit into the website or app. This entire process occurs within a fraction of a second. With the programmatic platform, native advertising can achieve a far more targeted response for each user in real time, which translates to increased engagement and higher conversions.
How Outbrain Boosts Your Native Advertising
When you use Outbrain Amplify, your content appears as featured links and suggested posts on some of the worldâs largest content publishers, such as:
If you have a great blog post, a terrific review from the press or an influencer, a video, or content you co-created with a publisher, Outbrain can help your content get discovered.
Outbrain drives engaged readers to your high-quality articles, mobile-optimized or video content (see our full content guidelines).
Unique placement strategy allows us to find the right audience for your content while they are actively looking for something new and interesting to discover.
The Outbrain Interest Graph taps into a deep reservoir of content consumption data from across our network, and allows us to personalize recommendations for each audience member.
Flexible pay-per-click (PPC) model gives you complete control of your native advertising spend.
