The Official Definition
na·tive ad·ver·tis·ing
Native advertising is a form of paid media where the ad experience follows the natural form and function of the user experience in which it is placed.
Leading Media Companies Monetize Their Content Feeds with Native Ads
The largest social platforms in the world monetize with native, in-feed ads, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Tumblr. The publishing industry is quickly following suit, as companies such as Time Inc, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and USA Today, continue to introduce new advertising integrations on desktop and mobile that match both the form & function of their editorial feeds.
TYPES OF NATIVE AD INTEGRATIONS
The IAB Native Advertising Task Force (co-chaired by Sharethrough CEO Dan Greenberg) established six core native ad formats.
The Role of Sponsored Content
Sometimes referred to as advertorials or even native ads, leading publishers have launched sponsored content studios to create content on behalf of brands. Publishers include venerable media brands such as Time Inc, Forbes, Wall Street Journal, New York Times, and The Guardian, as well as new media companies like Buzzfeed, Thought Catalog, Slate and many others. Check out the Sponsored Content Leaderboard to keep up with the best performing sponsored content.
Why Go Native?
People See Them
25% more consumers were measured to look at in-feed, native ad placements more than standard banners.
Viewed as Editorial
Consumers looked at native ads 2% more than editorial content and spent the same number of seconds viewing.
Mobile Branding
97% of mobile media buyers report that native ads were very or somewhat effective at achieving branding goals.
Purchase Drivers
Native ads registered 18% higher lift in purchase intent than banner ads.
RESEARCH & REPORTS
Sharethrough's proprietary research examines monetization and content marketing effectiveness and the digital advertising trends of the future.
A Neuroscience Perspective
Using neuroscience and eyetracking technology, Sharethrough and Nielsen studied how consumers visually process mobile ads. This first-of-its-kind research delivers new insights on visual attention in mobile feeds and how to maximize the impression value from mobile native ads.
