Is native advertising the answer to not annoying your customer?

Pop-up ads are universally loathed. We have become blind to banner ads. Retargeting ads are creepy. Television ads are an excuse to use the bathroom or fast forward. Autoplay videos can be embarrassing (especially at work). Let’s face it, some ads are no less intrusive than an uninvited solicitor at our door. But what about native advertising? Native Advertising is one way to do this. 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.” Source: Wikipedia.

What do our consumers think about advertising?

I found this article about why people hate ads: New Data on Why People Hate Ads

What is most interesting about this article are the comments that follow from readers. If any marketer responsible for managing, designing or placing ads reads these comments they will feel very ineffective and maybe even the object of their customers’ or potential customers’ anger.  Take this comment for example:

“Hopefully advertising goes away forever. Especially online advertising. Super intrusive, creepy and annoying. Don’t follow my history and pretend like you “know what I like/need”, that’s really really strange and makes me never want to use any of your services ever. Totally not trolling here, but I honestly believe the only people who would like to “re-structure” or work on the advertising system are the people who are directly profiting from it. I’ve never heard of anyone who enjoys being bombarded by a constant stream of advertising every waking moment of their lives. TV, radio, internet, billboards, bus stops…you can never escape the advertisers. We’re just commodities and their reach is much further than anyone can hide.”

Logically, we all understand that ad dollars pay for the content customers are able to consume. Television ads support our entertainment. Websites with great content are free for us to read and watch if we can put up with the ads. But we would all love to be less loathed.

As marketers how can we use native advertising more effectively?

Perfect native advertisements are seen as relevant content. However, if done wrong and if you use trickery, it will have the opposite effect, so be careful.

Below are some ideas on where you can start to strategize a plan:

1. Partner with nanoinfluencers who are thrilled with your brand and gain exposure organically
2. Use influencer blogs to place content in the context of what they are writing about. (Not a banner ad!)
3. Advertise on social bulletin boards that are relevant to your product or service
4. Facebook can offer some targeted opportunities (But beware, you are competing for the reader’s attention.)
5. Use Google Ad Manager (This can get expensive though.)
6. Advertorials are good if it adds value to the reader
7. Work with independent dealers to place branded content or promotions near your product

Here are some articles on how brands have effectively used native advertising:

Companies that have mastered Native Advertising

The Best Native Advertising Examples of 2018

Patty Jensen

VP, Account Services — JDA, Inc. Retail Ready Design

Patty Jensen is Vice President of Account Services at JDA, Inc., a graphic design firm that specializes in supporting companies’ branding and retail efforts with a Unified Marketing approach.