Native advertising is the shiniest of toys for digital publishers and brand marketers. Are native ads a promising new online ad format, or do they threaten to poison the well of brand communications? Here's an overview, and some tips for publishers and marketers.

1. The New Advertorial:
Title goes here
How Native Ads are
Changing Publishing

2. Today’s Discussion
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•
•
•
•
Shifting Dynamics
Evolution
Examples
Debate
Do’s & Don’ts

3. Jump in Anytime

4. In Search of a Better
Ad Model
• Banner blindness
– 31% of display ads are never seen
– 99.8% of banners are ignored
– 40% of mobile clicks are either accidental or
fraudulent
• CPMs under pressure
– Programmatic buying on the rise
– Avg online eCPM: $2.66-$3.50
– Avg mobile eCPM: $0.88-$1.07
Sources: Trademob, TechCrunch, comScore, MoPub, Forrester, Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers

5. Brands are Becoming
Publishers

6. But They Need Help
Outsourcing + challenges = opportunity

7. Opportunity =
Native Advertising
• Content provided
by an advertiser
• Integrated into
editorial design
• Non-interruptive
• Clearly labeled

8. A Brief History

9. Coining a Term
• “Native monetization systems”
– Facebook Sponsored Stories
– Google AdWords
– Promoted Tweets
Fred Wilson, Union Square Ventures
Photo credit: Joi Ito via Flickr

10. Early Examples
1
2
3

11. Native Pioneer: Forbes
• Reader
acceptance
• ‘Most read’ on
Forbes
• 30+ partners
• 20% of total ad
revenue in 2013

12. Native Pioneer:
BuzzFeed

13. A New Model for Media?
• 600-700 “social
content advertising”
programs in 2013
• ~$60 million in
revenues
• Brand lift

14. Plenty of Trial and Error
• Not vetted for
quality
• Misaligned with
the brand
• Negative
comments
deleted

15. Not Just for Mega-Brands

16. Accidentally Native

17. Evolving Formats
‘Native display’
• Integrates videos &
other rich media
• Promotes content,
not products

18. Everyone’s Jumping
On the Bandwagon

19. Not Everyone Is a Fan
• “Insidious”
• “A very slippery slope”
• “Destroying the village in order to save it”

20. Do’s and Don’ts
• DO: Clearly label
native ads as
content provided by
an advertiser
– “sponsored content”
≠ “sponsor content”
• DON’T: Deceive
your readers
Intentionally
opaque

21. Do’s and Don’ts
• DO: Use real
bylines
• DON’T: Write
about the
company or
its products

22. Do’s and Don’ts
• DO: Vet sponsor
content for tone,
style, substance
• DON’T: Dilute your
editorial brand

23. Do’s and Don’ts
• DON’T: Ask your
editors to create
native ad content
• DO: Outsource to
a freelancer or
consider hiring a
“brand editor”

24. Do’s and Don’ts
• DON’T: Track the
same old campaign
metrics
• DO: Measure what
matters
– Time spent
– Social sharing
– Clicks within post
– Brand lift

25. Do’s and Don’ts
• DON’T: Give native
ads away as “addons”
• DO: Charge a
premium for the
privilege
Prime real estate!

26. Closing Thoughts
• Test & learn
• Be transparent
• Protect your brand

27. Questions?

28. Thank You
• Email: rob@emediavitals.com
• Twitter: @roboregan
• LinkedIn:
http://www.linkedin.com/in/roboregan