What Is Native Advertising?

Native advertising is a form of paid display advertising that closely matches the media in which it appears. One of the most common examples of native advertising is the publication of a sponsored article on a news website, or a sponsored post on a blog. While native advertising content is effectively a paid marketing message, it appears similar in appearance to the editorial content on the site. This form of native ad is commonly noted with a label such as “sponsored article” or some other form of disclaimer.

Related forms of native advertising include paid social media posts, discussion forum posts, and other paid placements that look and feel like organic content on the platform. While native advertising commonly takes the form of written text (and has its roots in the “advertorial” of traditional print publishing), it can also appear in other formats such as video, audio, infographics, design elements, and more.

Native advertising can be a useful option in a marketer’s toolkit because audiences are increasingly sophisticated when it comes to tuning out messages that look like advertising. A consumer might use an ad blocker in their browser, for instance, that could remove some other types of display marketing. Because it is designed to mimic the medium in which it appears, a native ad can help a message get past these kinds of barriers. Many advertisers agree that the goal should not be to trick people, but rather to deliver high-value content that engages its intended audience.