Its growth is far from surprising, given 85% of Internet users don’t see native advertising as an interruption, and two-thirds are more likely to click on sponsored content than banner ads.

Meanwhile, 68% of consumers trust native ads seen in an editorial context, compared to 55% for social media ads.

For publishers and their advertisers, it’s evident there is a perfect middle-ground that needs to be met when producing fair, clear, and engaging ads for consumers. 

That’s where well-done native advertising comes in.

In this guide, we walk through native advertising guidelines, best practices, and specific examples of native ads that work.

Native Advertising in Action: Guidelines & Best Practices

We know that audiences don’t like to be bombarded or interrupted by advertising.

Ad types like pop-ups and autoplay video ads, for example, have never been popular among consumers and are often considered “annoying” and “disruptive.” (Ads on streaming services are considered the most “annoying.”)

With the rise of native advertising, however, we now know that advertising can be too discreet.

Google loves native ads, but audiences don’t want to be duped into believing an ad is anything other than what it is.

To regulate this middle-ground, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released Native Advertising: A Guide for Business.

When considering native advertising, brands and publications should take the time to read through this guide from the Federal Trade Commission to ensure they meet standards.

According to the FTC, their job is to “ensure that long-standing consumer protection principles apply in the digital marketplace, including native advertising.”

In their native advertising guide, the FTC defines what they consider to be deception in advertising:

“Under the FTC Act, an act or practice is deceptive if there is a material misrepresentation or omission of information that is likely to mislead the consumer acting reasonably in the circumstances. A misrepresentation is material if it is likely to affect consumers’ choices or conduct regarding an advertised product or the advertising for the product.”

“A basic truth-in-advertising principle is that it’s deceptive to mislead consumers about the commercial nature of content. Advertisements or promotional messages are deceptive if they convey to consumers expressly or by implication that they’re independent, impartial, or from a source other than the sponsoring advertiser – in other words, that they’re something other than ads.”

Even though “Sponsored,” “Presented,” and “Promoted by” all technically mean the same thing, a big point in the FTC’s guide is for publishers to use consistent language across all of their native ads. The disclosure should be clear, consistent and front-and-center.

In other words, if a publisher uses the phrase “Sponsored by” in one ad spot, they should also use the same disclosure elsewhere.

To battle ad deception, the FTC runs through the language and layout of how publishers should disclose native ads. Within the rundown are ten ways for consumers to identify native advertising.

Below is a list of those six identifiers, with successful native advertising examples for each, so you can have an easier time spotting native ads and formulating your plan for sponsored content.

25 Unique Native Advertising Examples

A. “Ad” or “Advertisement” Tag

There’s no guessing with this one. Many native ads simply contain the word “Advertisement” or “Ad” to let consumers know what they’re looking at.

The FTC states within its Guide that “Disclosures must be understood.” This means that, aside from the ad itself, the label on the ad cannot be ambiguous.

1. The Oscars

The good news with the below native advertising example from The Oscars is that “Advertisement” is as understandable as possible.

As the FTC Guide says it should be, it is written in “plain language that is as straightforward as possible.”

2. Vuori

In Vuori’s native advertising example, “Advertisement” is clearly seen below the creative. It doesn’t interrupt the user experience but is still visible.

3. Holiday Inn

This native ad from Holiday Inn seamlessly blends into Hotels.com’s “look and feel.” But because “Ad” is included in the top-left corner, users know Holiday Inn paid Hotels.com for that placement.

4. Experian

This native ad from Experian on Cars.com points to an article titled, How You Could Find Your Same Auto Insurance Coverage. The ad, which falls between two organic articles, includes “Ad” in the top-right corner.

B. “Paid Advertisement”

If something is disclosed as “Paid,” that’s always a clear signal of it being an advertisement.

5. Chase

This native ad from Chase includes the disclosure “Paid Content From Chase.” This disclosure is specific, pointing directly to one of the innovative trends in native advertising and Chase as the one paying.

6. Siemens

This example of a native ad comes from Siemens. The ad, featured on Forbes, talks about how buildings can drive the energy transition.

Forbes includes “Paid Program” to let users know Siemens paid for the ad. That language is also on the landing page. (See below.)

C. “Sponsored Advertising Content”

While perhaps not as on-the-nose as “Advertising” or “Paid Content,” seeing that something is “Sponsored Content” points to the fact that the brand at hand has nothing to do with the creation of the content in which the ad sits.

7. Life Seasons

Acknowledging that it is a sponsor recognizes that the ad is simply allowed to sit alongside Amazon content without any inference of contributing otherwise.

8. Tourneau

By saying “Sponsored,” the native advertising example here shows that Tourneau paid to feature its content on Facebook.

9. Dick’s Sporting Goods

In this great native advertising example, Dick’s Sporting Goods delivered an ad on Google. The ad fits into the search experience, and by using “Sponsored,” consumers know Dick’s Sporting Goods paid Google for that placement.

10. Great Britain

While readers may feel duped at first because this example feels so much like a normal article from Expedia, the term “Sponsor Content” is all readers need to recognize that this is an ad, according to the FTC.

11. Coursera

This “Sponsored” native advertising example appeared in some users’ Facebook streams. Yes, Coursera wants readers to learn data analysis in part. But, more importantly, it wants them to sign up for the platform.

D. “Presented by”

Another phrase to look out for is “Presented by.”

This is the first of the “by” terms.

At first blush, “presented by” is synonymous with “promoted by” and “sponsored by;” however, it often carries a different connotation. These pieces will often have a focus more tangentially related to the brand, giving them more room for storytelling.

12. Dove

Dove ‘presented’ a story in The Telegraph’s Lifestyle section on professional golfer Lee Westwood’s parenting.

13. Circle

The ad was hosted on Reddit. The “Promoted” ad came from Circle, a company that “helps businesses and developers harness the power of digital currency stablecoins, like USDC, for payments and internet commerce.”

14. Nike

This SB Nation native advertising example is “Presented By” Nike. The video aims to follow six NFL stars returning to their high schools for summer football training.

15. Meta

The content below is “Presented By” Meta because the social giant wishes to attach its name to content published on Fast Company. Fast Company also includes “Paid Content” on the landing page.

E. “Promoted by”

The inclusion of the word “by” is a way for native advertisements to be a bit more specific and separate the advertising brand (like Geico) from the publisher (like Buzzfeed).

The FTC states that disclosing an ad as just “Promoted” or as “Promoted Stories” can imply to consumers that the publisher endorses the content.

Hypothetically, if the example ad here were only to say “Promoted,” one might think that Buzzfeed is endorsing content from Geico.

16. Product Marketing Alliance

This example from Product Marketing Alliance on LinkedIn falls directly into a user’s feed, similar to native content; however, it includes “Promoted” at the top to let them know it’s an ad.

17. Twitter Small Biz

In this case, Twitter Small Biz’s Tweet says “Promoted by,” indicating that Twitter doesn’t necessarily have to endorse the content, even though both Twitter Small Biz and Twitter are divisions of the same company. It’s somewhat confusing, but that’s what “promoted by” means.

18. Google AdWords

Similarly, this native advertising example on Twitter, surrounding the best SEM practices, is “Promoted by” Google AdWords. However, Twitter, the platform where the content is displayed, isn’t obligated to endorse the post.

19. Honda Fit

Another native advertising example featured on Buzzfeed (but not endorsed by the publisher) was “Promoted By” Honda.

The brand enticed readers with a list of cool vintage items but more discreetly advertised the roomy nature of its Honda Fit.

20. Volkswagen Canada

Once again, another brand (Volkswagen) uses the social media platform, Twitter, to drive users to its content hub.

F. “Sponsored by”

Content that is “Sponsored by” a brand is another way to identify a native advertisement. And as previously mentioned, this is synonymous with content that is “presented by” and “promoted by.” It’s simply a choice of language.

21. Lexus

In this native advertising example below, an article from Lexus is “Sponsored Content.” With B2B native advertising, these articles are often presented as think pieces.

22. The Craig School

Sponsored content can also be targeted with regional publications. For example, The Craig School bought a native ad on NJ.com to promote an article about the influence of flexible seating on achievement.

23. The Botanist

When a sponsored post is created with a publication’s creative team, the distinction between paid and unpaid content is blurred even further.

The piece on gin and tonics at Eater makes perfect sense for the publication. Without the disclaimer underneath (and clearly branded imagery), it wouldn’t even be classified as a native ad.

24. EcoWorld

Finally, taking this tack with native ads can make for a more elegant means of messaging.

National Geographic, for example, chooses to call this native ad article ‘partner content’ from developer EcoWorld.

The positioning clarifies that the publication and brand have shared values, creating a natural fit for native advertising.

25. Film Supply

Below is an example of a native ad from Film Supply.

The ad, which includes “Publishing Partner,” is delivered in tandem with other native content published on Ad Age.

Native Advertisements: More Than the Tag

The business guidelines from the top of this guide are a good starting point for how to tag native ads.

But successful native advertising isn’t only about following those guidelines. As the examples highlighted here show, native ads are about positioning brands where and when it makes sense with the publication.

At the same time, the lines between paid ads and original content are blurring — Google, for example, announced a change to its result page that will make ads blend in more.

Brands will do well to remember that successful native ads both blend in and add value. The combination is what makes a good fit.

For more insights, sign up for MediaRadar’s blog here.

If you’re nodding your head, you’ve participated in the market’s direct-to-consumer (DTC) segment. 

Warby Parker, the unicorn among unicorns for digitally native brands, ushered in DTC nearly a decade ago. Established brands like Nike have been catching up ever since, putting the customer experience in the spotlight and playing with their online stores to make buying as easy as possible. 

The reverberations of shifting customer expectations continue to be felt among digital natives and major retail brands alike—and the model’s growth across industries and markets is stratospheric.

In 2022, approximately 64% of consumers worldwide made regular purchases directly from brands. The DTC model is here to stay, and ad platforms will need to learn to keep up. 

But how have DTC disruptors changed advertising, and what’s most important for advertising in the DTC model?

This article dives into how DTC advertising differs from traditional advertising and which factors remain the same.

What’s a DTC Brand and What Do They Mean for Traditional Advertising? 

A DTC brand is any company that sells its products to consumers rather than going through a distribution channel or retail store. With that definition, DTC can take on many different forms. 

Digitally native brands like Allbirds, Away, Casper, and Dollar Shave Club are examples of B2B brands in their purest form. 

By definition, Uber is also DTC since consumers can simply press a button and their ride shows up. No intermediaries are involved. 

Sometimes, it’s new efforts put forward by industry giants, like Nike or Asics, trying to keep up with the times. Since 2011, Nike has grown DTC sales from 16% of revenue to 35%.

Other traditional brick-and-mortar retailers are also trying to break into DTC. Under Armour has expressed a desire to grow substantially in the channel, while Adidas outlined plans for DTC sales to make up 50% of its revenue by 2025.

Overall, DTC sales by established brands (like Nike) in the U.S. are expected to exceed $160b by 2024. Meanwhile, sales from digitally native DTC brands (like Allbirds) are expected to be near $62b.

In any case, brands bypass traditional sales models, and many are rethinking otherwise staid marketing strategies.

Much of this shift is due to the customer expectations that DTC brands, in turn, exhibit. 

In the Amazon age, brands expect direct connection, fast communication and clear expectations. At the same time, marketing and sales have become more experiential than transactional. DTC brands want to reach consumers directly rather than through publishers, retailers or advertising agencies. 

The response from major advertising platforms has been telling. Instagram, Facebook, and other major social platforms have become popular among DTC brands for their ease of use and reach. 

That said, times are changing.

Since Apple began asking users whether they’d allow their online activity to be tracked, only a small percentage have agreed, making it difficult for DTC brands historically thrived within social’s walls. 

According to Polly Wong, president of Belardi Wong, an agency whose client base is ~90% DTC brands, return on ad spend (ROAS) for its brands on Meta platforms (Instagram and Facebook) was down by 23% year over year in January 2022.

For DTC brands that rely on advertising, this doesn’t bode well. In its recent IPO, Allbirds said it spent more than $55mm in marketing-related expenses in 2020. 

Meanwhile, the same year, Casper spent more than $156.8mm on advertising. Finally,  Wayfair spent nearly $1.5b. 

Other platforms are evolving as well. For example, NBC Universal has tried to reach DTC advertisers by pulling them into their online channels. 

“NBCU is offering DTC brands complete campaign consultation, from audience connections and content creation to cross-platform measurement and placement optimization,” writes Jeanine Poggi at AdAge. 

Brands will also have access to in-house data and creative teams. The move makes it clear that DTC brands are cut from a different cloth regarding advertising.

What’s Important for DTC Ad Sales?

Just like DTC brands are using new advertising strategies and platforms are evolving to meet them, ad sales to these brands will have to take on a new form. 

Sales are no longer just sales; it’s the customer journey. Support is no longer just support; it’s the customer experience. Or so go the main tenets of the DTC model. Ad sales reps will do well to play into the DTC hand.

According to research from the MediaRadar, you can expect to find some (or all) of the following attributes in DTC brands:

• Mission-driven. Many DTC brands believe in the value they are offering their customers. Their message is not about the product only; it’s often just as focused on connection or experience. For example, Allbirds’ mission is to prove that comfort, good design, and sustainability don’t have to be mutually exclusive. As more consumers prioritize missions in their purchase decision, these companies will come to the forefront. 
• Younger customer segments. Since most DTC brands are digital natives, they focus on Millennials & Gen Z customer segments. For example, a DTC brand is likelier to advertise via Instagram or TikTok than HGTV. Young consumers will continue to drive DTC brands in 2023 and beyond.
• Brand authenticity. Customers tend to be invested in a DTC brand, meaning emotional marketing works better than other models. Spending for a customer support program may not top ad spend for DTC brands, but it could come close. In fact, 90% of Americans use customer service as a factor in deciding whether or not to do business with a company.
• Quality over price. Many DTC brands take the conversation surrounding benefits vs. features marketing seriously – and product price rarely factors into their marketing strategies.
• Product specialization. In contrast to major retailers or apparel brands, DTC brands tend to specialize in a single product – or highly defined set of products. The Casper catalog – which started as a mattress and now includes just a handful of sleepytime accouterment – is a good example of this focus.
• eCommerce sales. Most DTC brands are digital natives, with sales available only online – from platforms like Amazon to their own self-hosted stores. The same goes for most marketing efforts, focusing on digital channels like social and paid search. The rise of OTT, especially among younger generations, will push ad dollars to these new ecosystems. 
• It’s all about the data. DTC brands tend to be highly analytical – they rely on metrics to appeal to their customers, make their sales, and follow up with great messaging. Most of their sales and marketing efforts are aimed at making tweaks to optimize the funnel rather than to make a big splash. That said, the downfall of third-party cookies will put them in a pickle. They’ll need to quickly find advertising alternatives to drive a return. 

These are the highlights, but they’re not the only elements that make a DTC brand unique for advertising opportunities. 

Check out our follow-up to this piece and our comprehensive guide for more specific tips on selling advertising to a DTC brand.

For more insights, sign up for MediaRadar’s blog here.

The former answers a brand’s need to speak personally and authoritatively to its audience. The latter allows rapidly expanding brands to reach a huge demographic while still targeting interest (although targeting will be tricky without third-party cookies).

One is almost always in a natural format, while the other traditionally take the form of banner and PPC ads. 

These two formats are not diametrically opposed but seem to address different needs. But as ad networks expand and programmatic capabilities advance, the line between programmatic and direct ads blurs, opening the opportunity for native ads to join the programmatic bandwagon. 

What Is Native Advertising?

Native advertising is paid content that matches the look and feel of the unique environment in which they’re delivered. Native ads feel natural and aren’t jarring. Nearly every online ecosystem offers native ads, including social media and YouTube. That said, the ad format is making its way offline as advertisers look to escape the crowded online world and rising prices.

Why Are Programmatic Native Ads So Popular?

Native advertising spending increased by 37% in 2021 and is expected to reach $98.59b in 2023.

These numbers make it clear that programmatic native ads are popular.  

But why are native ads on the rise, and what do they offer brands?

The short answer: They just work.

According to Outbrain, 68% of consumers trust native ads seen in an editorial context, compared to 55% for social ads. Meanwhile, native ads generate an 18% boost in purchase intent, which is music to all advertisers, especially those in DTC who rely heavily on their online presence.

The longer (but not super long) answer: People don’t mind native ads. In fact, Outbrain found that native ads are the least intrusive form of advertising.

In the past, brands have had valid concerns about programmatic ads translating into a poor fit or a risk to brand safety. YouTube has been in the headlines in the past for brand safety-related concerns.

In 2017, AT&T and Johnson & Johnson pulled ads from YouTube and Google after news reports showed their ads running next to offensive content.

In 2019, Procter & Gamble warned digital media companies that they need “a rethink of their ecosystem to build in quality, civility, transparency, privacy and control or risk major brands stepping back from advertising.”

Google’s president of EMEA business & operations, Matt Brittin, responded by saying, “In the context of brand safety, we’ve seen some of the bigger advertisers pull back spend while they understand what’s there and make sure they do the right thing. And we recommend that where they have concerns about it.

“We take the responsibility very seriously, we’re in it for the long term. Any advertiser who wants to think about what they’re doing differently, we support them in doing that.”

Google and other major advertising ecosystems have taken the responsibility seriously.

In 2021, Google became the first digital platform to receive content-level brand safety accreditation from the Media Rating Council (MRC). It received the same accreditation again in 2022, making YouTube the only platform to hold this distinction.

Similarly, Meta has gone to great lengths to address safety concerns on Facebook and Instagram by showing brands exactly where their ads appear.

But the pros are starting to outweigh the cons. 

The approach offers two major benefits for advertisers: cost-effectiveness and better targeting. 

Programmatic native ads are more cost-effective because they automate an otherwise time-consuming process and result in higher-converting ads. One study shows native ads have a click-through rate (CTR) 8.8x greater than display ads.

“Doing native ads programmatically means you get many of the benefits of programmatic display: automated media buying, effective targeting and audience insights for further optimization,” writes Grace Kaye at Marketing Land. 

The higher conversion is often due to combining the power of contextual and native ads; users not only see highly relevant ads, but they see them next to highly relevant content.

“Programmatic adds more power to native ads by leveraging machine learning and contextual signals to customize them according to user preferences and placing them at appropriate places,” writes Vandita Grover at MarTech Advisor. 

Here’s a good example of a native ad from Visit Portugal:

Why’s it a good example?

Because someone looking at flights to Portugal on Skyscanner clearly has some intention of visiting the country. Therefore, an ad from Visit Portugal makes all the sense in the world. It’s natural and highly relevant to the page.

Native ads already reached more qualified leads, particularly when placed with niche publications. With advancing ad tech, that reach can become more expansive and targeted. 

Top native advertising platforms

• Outbrain: Outbrain is arguably the most established native placement platform, making 275 billion monthly recommendations and covering 80 percent of the “world’s premium publishers.” 
• Nativo: Nativo offers Dynamic Creative optimization and A/B testing to ensure native ads are well-placed. Major brands — from Walmart to Disney — are using the platform. 
• Taboola: The platform has agreements with MSN, Business Insider, Fox News, and many digital properties. Their goal is to make brands the next story on the page “in moments when people are looking for something new.” 

Other popular native advertising platforms include TripleLift, Yahoo Gemini, and RevContent.

Native Ads: An Advertiser’s BFF

The downfall of third-party cookies and the rise of other privacy-focused initiatives have made one abundantly clear: People are tired of the current state of advertising.

That said, most people don’t dislike ads simply because. In reality, most people want to distance themselves from ads because they’re intrusive and don’t add value to their lives.

In 2023 and beyond, advertisers who can make the most natural, authentic, and meaningful connection with consumers will win (and get the most ad engagement).

Natural, authentic, and meaningful are three characteristics at the heart of native advertising.

For more insights, sign up for MediaRadar’s blog here.

It’s become widely popular for a variety of reasons, but one reigns supreme: consumers don’t really mind them.

While other ad formats can be jarring and intrusive, the natural feel of native ads makes them particularly appealing to consumers. In fact, 68% of consumers trust native ads in an editorial context, compared to 55% of ads across major social media platforms.

Native advertising’s surge has extended to offline environments as well. On top of the many formats of native advertising that appear online, we’ve seen native ads on the subway and at sporting events.

The main fact is, native advertising is weaving its way into every form of consumable content, online or offline.

In considering the upward trend of native advertising, let’s look at the unique innovation we’ve seen—and what we can look forward to in 2023 and beyond.

What’s Native Advertising?

Native advertising is paid content that matches the look and feel of the unique environment in which they’re delivered. Said another way, native ads feel natural and not jarring. Nearly every online ecosystem offers native ads, including social media and YouTube, but the ad formats are making their way offline as well as advertisers look to escape the crowded online world.

Key Trends Transforming Native Advertising

There’s an endless stream of innovation reshaping the way publishers and advertisers alike use native advertising. The essential ones to keep in mind, however, revolve around video, branded content studios, mobile, and the ever-increasing push into all things transparency.

1. Video

Video has become the trend within most other trends. As new forms of ad inventory become available and increasingly popular, i.e., TikTok and augmented reality, video often seems to push that new inventory to the forefront. Spending on video advertising will reach more than $210b this year.

While native ads made a name for themselves across the social media world (more on that below), the trend to look out for moving forward is how they’re weaved into other platforms, including YouTube and other video-sharing platforms.

Take augmented reality ads, for example. More and more advertisers are using these future-facing formats to naturally bring their brands to the forefront of these futuristic experiences.

Native video ads are also appearing on platforms like Twitch as advertisers look to capitalize on the explosive growth of gaming in recent years. Twitch could tout an 82% YoY growth rate at the height of the pandemic.

Of course, native video ad inventory on legacy platforms like YouTube and across publisher sites is still in play. But as advertisers look for new ways to delight consumers, they’ll be increasingly pushed to up-and-coming ecosystems.

2. Branded Content Studios

Publishers have long relied on content—think catchy taglines and downloadable whitepapers.

That said, content has been spreading its wings through branded content studios.

Why? Two reasons:

1. Declining ad revenue: Publications are struggling with declining ad revenue as Google, Apple, and others alter their approach to data.
2. The demise of third-party cookies: Advertisers are trying to figure out how to deliver impactful campaigns without third-party cookies.

These forcing functions are pushing branded content to prominence and making them an increasingly appealing native advertising option for brands.

For publishers, it gives them an extra revenue stream. For brands, it gives them a seamless way to insert their brand in tandem with relevant content on some of the world’s biggest publications.

For example, Fast Company published a video and article showing how Pzifer uses data, AI and ML technology to increase innovation. 

Example of branded content studios:

• The Trust  
• FastCo. Works 
• The Business Journals Content Studio 
• Bloomberg Media Group 
• Forbes Content & Design Studio 

As long as consumers are fond of native ads—75% of consumers trust content and recommendations seen in an editorial environment—branded content studios will thrive.

3. Mobile & In-app

In Q4 2022, mobile devices accounted for nearly 60% of global website traffic, but that’s not surprising, given that 6.8b people own a smartphone worldwide.

There’s been a heightened focus on mobile in recent years for advertisers, and native advertising is no different. Both mobile and native continue to grow and continue to better engage viewers.

Vertical video, a major mobile advertising trend, has become an important native advertising format, as well. The continued rise of vertical video comes as advertisers look to maximize the real estate on mobile devices and deliver ads in a natural way (most people hold their phones vertically).

Native ads have also made their way to mobile apps. That’s far from a surprise, either. The global mobile app market was worth $206.85b in 2022 and is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.8% between now and 2030.

App or no app, most publishers offering mobile content have added native to their inventory.

In-app native ads come in many forms. From the simple style of Facebook’s social media feed, to fun Snapchat filters, to Spotify display ads, the native advertising present within apps versus other media is perhaps the most innovative.

4. Ad Transparency

Native advertising has played an interesting part in the discussion surrounding transparency.

While native advertising tends to better engage the audience, anyone that feels duped by an advertisement will certainly not have a good affiliation with that brand. That “duped” feeling has been a core driver behind the GDPR, CCPA, and other privacy-focused initiatives to protect consumers from rogue ads.

That’s why the FTC has specific laws in place, requiring native advertisers to let viewers know that they are, in fact, looking at an advertisement. While that is obviously fair and necessary, more than anything, native advertising keeps the conversation of transparency moving in the right direction.

With such innovative ways of living within content, native advertising can never be too native, which is the general point.

This is a major point of innovation. Native advertising allows brands to live within content without disrupting the consumer’s experience.

At the same time, each consumer is fully aware that what they’re looking at is an ad. That is an impressive level of integration paired with a high level of transparency that will continue to make native ads a roaring success.

No, We Didn’t Forget Social Media

Native ads are synonymous with social media—as they should be. Facebook, Snap, Instagram, and Twitter have all made a concerted effort over the years to deliver ad experiences that “match” their unique environments. TikTok has done the same since bursting on the scene during the pandemic.

Native ads will always have a place inside social’s walls, especially on platforms popular with younger generations, like TikTok and Instagram. That said, their reign as the top dog appears to be over.

A study found that 21% of consumers plan to spend less time on social media, pointing to a growing preference for editorial-based and native experiences.

Advertisers are also waking up to the idea that native ads are simply more impactful elsewhere. In fact, native ads are 62% easier to understand than display and 31% easier to understand than ads on social.

Still, as long as social media users become attached and engaged with their feeds, these digital giants will remain at the heart of the native advertising evolution.

For more insights, sign up for MediaRadar’s blog here.

Although advertising is always changing, it remains a key tool in the B2B marketer’s arsenal alongside drip campaigns and personalized landing pages.

As an ad sales pro, it’s important that you know where B2B advertising is going and how you can take advantage of trends.

1. Native Advertising Takes Over

B2B brands continue shifting their budgets from tried-and-true traditional formats to digital ones. This likely has to do with the value online advertising offers. While data is typically thought to drive programmatic advertising, online insights can guide B2B advertisers to smarter direct marketing efforts.

Said another way, they simultaneously allow for a bigger and more targeted reach.

Changing buying behaviors brought on by the pandemic—only about 20% of B2B buyers said they hoped to return to in-person sales after the pandemic—will continue to put a premium on digital formats.

But times are changing, and run-of-the-mill digital ads don’t shine as brightly as they used to.

The downfall of third-party cookies and shifting sentiment around ads mean that B2B advertisers can’t blindly throw ads online.

This is why native advertising will continue to gain steam in 2023.

In 2022, eMarketer predicted a 14.9% YoY increase in native display ad spending, with most of it going to mobile devices and social media platforms.

These ad formats—offered across the digital advertising world—deliver a more natural experience, a big reason why they’re so successful; 68% of consumers trust native ads seen in an editorial context, compared to 55% for social media ads.

Similarly, branded content studios will prove invaluable; their native feel and access to niche audiences will be too much for B2B advertisers to ignore.

2. Events Are Back

After taking a pandemic-induced break, in-person events are back, and B2B advertisers are excited.

By the second half of the year, almost half of the respondents to a survey sample said they’re “extremely likely” to return to in-person events—and that’s far from surprising.

According to Bizzabo, 87% of B2B marketers say in-person events are a critical component of their company’s success. Meanwhile, 85% of leadership (senior managers, executives, and board members) believe in-person events are important to their company’s success.

With events on their way back, B2B advertisers will look to them as an opportunity to regain authentic connections with leads and prospects they lost.

That said, virtual (and hybrid) events are unlikely to go away as B2B marketers look to connect with their total addressable market (TAM) without having to spend thousands on in-person events (booths, travel, printing, etc.). True adoption, however, will largely rely on industry players coming together to perfect software solutions that make virtual and hybrid events possible.

3. Podcast Advertising Grows

With 79% of the U.S. aware of podcasts—and a growing percentage of them highly engaged—podcast ads are poised to become an even bigger medium for B2B advertisers.

More on the nose for the B2B advertisers, research shows that podcast listeners tend to be educated and affluent.

B2B marketers are embracing the trend in a couple of ways:

• B2B brands are buying ads on existing podcasts. This allows marketers to reach an already engaged and niche audience actively paying attention. According to NPR CEO Gina Garrubbo, B2B brands make up one of their biggest advertiser categories.
• B2B brands are creating their own podcasts. These “branded podcasts” give B2B brands interested in content marketing a new medium. Creating a podcast takes more of an investment than a blog post, but it also likely leads to higher levels of engagement. Examples include Rise & Grind (ZipRecruiter), Masters of Data (Sumo Logic), and Luminaries (DELL).

The ongoing adoption of podcasts certainly has B2B advertisers’ attention, but so does the proven impact of the actual ads, namely, the ones read by hosts. Host-read ads give B2B advertisers an authentic and relatable way to connect with niche audiences.

A study from Nielsen found that host-read podcast ads were “significantly more likely to be described by respondents as authentic and believable, and less likely to be felt as forced.” 

4. Out-of-Home Advertising (OOH) Expands

OOH advertising is up across the board; OOH advertising revenue increased by nearly 30% in the second quarter of 2022 compared to the previous year, accounting for more than $2.6b.

Many B2B brands are running these ads and will continue to do so in 2023. From airports to cabs and the subway, B2B advertisers are getting their messaging across during your morning commute.

“While OOH may appear ‘old-school’ on the surface, exciting new OOH placements and integrated geolocation data have transformed the medium into a sophisticated outlet for savvy marketers,” explains Vector Media, a creative agency.

For example, location data allows advertisers to target the initial ad placement and retarget people who have been close to the ad on mobile or web platforms. It’s the natural next step in bringing together the physical and the digital in B2B advertising.

Here’s an example from The Trade Desk (TTD):

TTD’s campaign tapped into OOH advertising to reach brands, media agencies, and commuters in major metro areas. The campaign, “What Matters,” delivered programmatic OOH ads on digital panels on bus shelters, newsstands, elevators, and lobby screens. Additionally, the campaign included connected TV (CTV), YouTube, and online video ads.

OOH, especially of the digital variety, will remain top of mind among B2B advertisers as they fight to find respite from some crowded online ecosystems and prepare for a world without third-party cookies.

B2B Advertisers Fight to Stand Out in 2023

B2B advertising hasn’t always been “cool.”

Historically, B2B advertisers have defaulted to traditional channels, like print and TV, to get their message across. If they did enter the digital world, their journey was often limited to LinkedIn.

But as the B2B world grows and the competition intensifies, advertisers are spreading their wings.

As they do so, they’re adopting the latest and greatest the digital advertising ecosystem has to offer. In 2023, that means native ads, events, podcasts, and OOH.

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According to our data, about 66% of brands that used native advertising in 2020 didn’t spend in the native B2B space in 2019. More notably, none of the top ten spending brands in 2020 overlapped with the top ten spending brands in 2019.

Many of these changes resulted from the pandemic. 

Now that we’re roughly halfway through 2021, did these shifts in native advertising last?

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B2B follows B2C companies using native

You might not think of programmatic and native when you think of B2B marketing. B2B industries weren’t the first to jump on the trend, but B2B brands are following their B2C counterparts and it seems to be paying off. 

“When I think about B2B social today, companies are very active on social,” said Carter Hostelley, founder and CEO of Leadtail, a B2B social media consultancy to CMSWire. “Social is discovery driven. It’s really about moving folks from discovering a brand to having interest in the brand and then finally having intent around the brand.”

According to LinkedIn, 75% of B2B buyers use social media to make purchasing decisions. After years of relying on salespeople for product information, buyers discover and do most of their research online before reaching out for any serious buying conversation. 

In order to engage buyers with native, businesses need to understand their buyers and their needs exceptionally well. 

“This approach is often preached but rarely practiced, which is likely why the Forrester report found that 59% of global tech buyers say that most content from vendors is useless,” writes Jonathan Franchell, founder of B2B growth agency Ironpaper.

To distribute native advertising and content well, brands must create relevant content by better understanding their ideal customer profile. 

Native advertising is often an experiment for brands. Even if they’ve mastered one platform like LinkedIn or Twitter, there’s still more to learn on other platforms like Facebook or yes, even TikTok. 

MediaRadar Insights

Last year there were roughly the same amount of brands purchasing native ad space as 2019—but the interesting thing was that the majority (66%) were new to the format. 

Over the last several months, we’ve seen even more B2B brands begin using native advertising. 

Looking at the data from January through May 2020, there were 790 advertisers spending $4.1mm in B2B direct native advertising. During the same period of 2021, we saw 1.1k advertisers spending $6.6mm in the same space.

A portion of this 61% increase in spend can likely be attributed to the continued shift to digital in the B2B space. Brands are also doubling down on account based marketing—which relies on personalized marketing for accounts. Social is an important targeting tool for this marketing approach.

B2B Native Advertising Stats Worth Knowing in 2021

• In 2021, 83% of all native advertisers are new.

• Brands who’ve returned year-over-year only account for 7% of all native advertising spend in the B2B space.

• The top 10 brands in 2021 accounted for 30% of the total ad spend January – May:

• Brand Hong Kong
• Zurich American Insurance Company
• E*Trade Securities
• FlexShares Funds
• PLI Practising Law Institute
• Lending Tree
• Kinney Recruiting
• Pfizer
• Lawline.

• Of the top 10 spending brands, Lending Tree, Kinney Recruiting, and Lawline were the only returning brands from 2020. 
  • Their spend accounts for 4% of all ad spend, paralleling other returning brands to the B2B native advertising space. Returning spend is very small.

Methodology: This analysis looks at the behaviors of the top B2B native advertisers January – May of 2021, and compares that activity to the same period in 2020.

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One medium that has attracted B2B brands is native advertising. Native ads have the look and feel of the media format in which they appear, but are actually paid ads. 

COVID-19 changed everything for brands, including their approach to native advertising. Here, we look at the behaviors of the top B2B native advertisers and how spending stacks up against last year.

We encourage you to subscribe to our blog for the latest data surrounding the advertising industry. We will provide daily updates as COVID-19 continues to make its mark on the US economy.

Why B2B Brands Look To Native Ad Space

Native advertising isn’t new, but it did present a fairly safe format for brands to advertise in this year, with new layers of opportunity considering surging online traffic. 

Native is a safe bet

The very nature of native advertising tends to make it more acceptable for audiences to digest. It’s simply less disruptive—just another image on a LinkedIn feed or an article on a publishing site. 

Audiences usually know that the content is advertorial, but don’t mind. A 2018 Stanford University study showed that even though audiences recognize an ad for what it is, native ads are still effective because they lead to higher exposure. Native advertising is about building a brand and letting audiences become more familiar with them over time.

Native advertising isn’t as flexible or as highly targeted as, say, programmatic advertising, but it is relevant for audiences and good for spreading awareness. 

It’s a good time to take advantage of online activity

Though physical magazines are struggling during the pandemic without offices, online magazines experienced a surge of traffic, presenting good opportunities for native ads. 

That doesn’t mean finding sponsors for online content didn’t come without challenges. 

“There’s a surge of interest around news, so we saw huge tides of increased traffic in certain categories, but not necessarily the categories that people surround with sponsorships, so that’s always a challenge,” said Alison Overholt, senior VP of multiplatform storytelling and journalism at ESPN. “How do you match up the spots where you’ve got rising traffic and engagement with the sponsorship support?”

In response to this mismatch between topics of interest and business-friendly categories, a shift took place. Publications shifted content and brands that were more needed in a pandemic and economic recession started investing more in this medium (i.e. producing more content about business security, and in turn drawing more IT sponsors). 

MediaRadar Insights

Methodology

This analysis looks at the behaviors of the top B2B native advertisers in January through October of 2020 and compares that activity to the same period in 2019.

Findings

Native advertising has seen a decrease in ad dollars—but not as significantly as other popular B2B mediums (i.e. events and print). 

Both the number of advertisers and advertising spend decreased year-over-year (YoY) compared to the time period between January and October.

From January through October of 2019, there were 6,500 native advertisers spending $13.7 million. From January through October of 2020, there were 6,400 native advertisers spending $11.7 million.

Overall spend fell 14% YoY, and the number of brands fell 2%. This means that roughly the same number of brands is buying ads. They are just spending less.

Note: At the beginning of 2020, even before COVID-19 hit, fewer B2B brands were buying native ads. And they were spending less too. In January, the number of brands was down by 5% and spend was down by 34% YoY.

Additionally, 4,200 of the 6,400 brands (66%) that used native advertising this year did not spend in the native B2B space in 2019. Together, they accounted for $3.1 million (or 27%) of the spend. Though there is the same amount of B2B brands advertising using this medium, the majority of brands are new to this format and spend less than returning brands. 

Returning brands sustained large native ad campaigns: the top ten brands in 2020 accounted for 38% of the total ad spend. These brands are:

• VMWare, inc.
• Morgan Stanley
• BP America
• Tokyo Metropolitan Government
• Cisco Systems
• Dashlane
• TaxAct
• DraftKings Nation
• Kinney Recruiting 
• Lawline

None of the top ten spending brands in 2020 overlapped with the top ten spending brands in 2019—which is reflective of the massive changes brought on by the pandemic. 

The biggest spenders—VMWare and Morgan Stanley—alone accounted for 25% of the total ad buy from January through October.

VMWare is a desktop virtualization software, and spent 15% of the total ad buy from January through October. However, they only spent from March to April, targeting businesses who needed to allow employees to work from home.

Morgan Stanley wrote content guiding businesses on how to lead and innovate during a crisis. They spent 10% of the total ad buy from January through October. Unlike VMWare, their campaign started in June and has continued through October.

The top five spending categories in 2020 are:

• Tech
• Finance
• Services
• Media
• Industries

Spend in these five categories amounted to 83% of total native ad buy, due in part to brands like VMWare and Morgan Stanley sustaining large campaigns.

As the pandemic continues to affect daily life in much of the US, marketers will have to continue to adjust, deciding how much to spend on native advertising.

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According to MediaRadar data, brands spent 11% more on programmatic between April and July than the same time period in 2019. 

However, the percent of programmatic advertisers who utilize ad tech to purchase premium ad units—native, podcast and video—has stayed steady.

What are the latest trends in buying premium programmatic ads and who are the top buyers?

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Native, podcast and video programmatic ads drive engagement

Overall, programmatic advertising is faring well this year. 

“For such a unique year, this year is following last year’s patterns pretty closely, albeit at a lower level,” said Andy Ellenthal, Staq’s CEO. “We expect to see a dip around Labor Day, the way we always do, but then we also expect it to come back.”

Of all the types of programmatic advertising, native, podcast, and video are premium purchases for advertisers. 

Native mobile ads are advancing

One of the latest advancements to native programmatic advertising is Nativo’s latest release of Mobile Ads SDK. The SDK version 5 features:

• IAB Open Measurement (OM) SDK Support 
• React Native Support 
• Brand Safety Support 
• CCPA & GDPR Compliance

According to publishers, they’re seeing about a 14% increase in CPM with this new version.

“As a mobile-first company, we realized that native ad formats are what drive increased engagement and retention among our app users,” said Co-Founder of Glow, Inc. Kevin Ho.

Programmatic podcast ads are positioned for growth

Native podcast ads are effective because they are tailored to a highly engaged audience and are intertwined with the flow of the show, often read by the show host. 

Now, podcast advertising is leveling up with programmatic formatting. Programmatic podcast ads make ads personalized for specific audiences—based on location, weather, and demographics. There are a few specialized companies leading the charge in developing programmatic advertising for podcasts, namely Audry.

“Native advertising in podcasts used to outperform all other ad types on most performance metrics because targeting was very limited, and brands used aggressive radio style ads,” explained Niklas Hildebrand, the co-founder of Audry. “With programmatic podcast advertising, this is no longer the case. The new generation of podcast ads are not only more targeted, but the assets themselves can be dynamically assembled for every listener and designed to fit the medium’s auditory style.”

This type of advertising is still in its infancy, but is already demonstrating many advantages. These benefits include scalability, better attribution data and improved relevance to audiences.

Programmatic video

A Hubspot report in 2017 that surveyed over 3,000 consumers found that video is the best type of content to attract people’s time and attention—and 54% of respondents said they wanted to see more video from brands they support.

People love video. That’s not changing any time soon, making programmatic video advertisements highly impactful. Advertisers can optimize their ad campaigns by making ads in the format that audiences want to see, plus reaping the benefits of targeted personalization, automation and scalability. 

Advertisers can choose from several different types of programmatic video ad types, including:

• In-stream videos
• Pre-roll videos
• Mid-roll videos
• Post-roll videos 
• Out-stream videos
• In-display videos

MediaRadar Insights

While the percent of digital advertisers utilizing programmatic tech is increasing, the percent of programmatic advertisers who utilize ad tech to purchase these types of premium ad units is not budging. 

In Q2 2020, 10% of all programmatic advertisers were buying the above three formats programmatically, only down from 11% in Q2 2019.

The top buyer of premium programmatic ad formats is the media industry. In fact, they make up 31% of all dollars spent on premium programmatic placements. When looking at programmatic as a whole, media makes up only 15%.

The top buyers of premium programmatic ads include: 

• PayPal
• Verizon 
• Liberty Mutual
• Geico
• L’Oreal

Collectively, these five companies made up 10% of all programmatic ad spend on premium formats.

Another buyer among the top ten spenders this year is Biden for President.

As political campaigns heat up, more sites will increase their political coverage. In a year marked by social unrest and economic inequality, advertisers may change their buying behavior as the election draws closer.

We’ll continue to monitor how advertisers behave as the year closes out— Q4 in 2020 will not likely be typical.

For more updates like this, stay tuned. Subscribe to our blog for more updates on coronavirus and its mark on the economy.

We oscillate between hard news stories and funny memes. We try to listen to the podcasts we miss from our daily commutes. Tigers and their masters have left their mark on our psyches. 

Our digital habits have changed. 

As people turn to streaming, news publications and social media to cope with this time of grief, advertisers are responding.

We analyzed the data to see how brands are capitalizing on the recent spike in media consumption. Overall digital ad spend was down in March, but many brands escalated their spending. 

Which digital media formats have been impacted most?

We encourage you to subscribe to our blog for the latest data surrounding the advertising industry. We will provide daily updates as COVID-19 continues to make its mark on the US economy.

How COVID-19 is Changing What We Watch and Listen to Online

Before the coronavirus crisis, Americans were already on their phones, watching TV or consuming digital media most of their days. 

Nielsen reported that before the pandemic, American adults spent almost 12 hours a day on a media platform. That number is likely to increase by 60% on average for those practicing social distancing.

Americans are spending more time consuming media and playing more video games, but they are also engaging with different platforms more (i.e. news) and at different times of the day.

For example, streaming behavior is going every direction. Prime time TV viewership is down. On the other hand, video streaming between 11am and 2pm is up 40%. Twitch streaming increased 23%, while audio streaming (i.e. podcasts) is down despite previous momentum . 

People are not limited by traditional work hours and can watch their favorite shows whenever they want. Professional sports are off the table and turning their fandom elsewhere. 

This new behavior is causing many companies to quickly reallocate their online ad spend.  

MediaRadar Insights: March Spending Across Digital Media Formats

In March, we saw brands collectively spend 3% less on digital media than they did in February. 

The overall dip in spending is not surprising considering the fragile state of the economy. Brands were more selective with the digital formats they invested in and not all formats were impacted equally. 

Native advertising saw the largest hit: there was a 10% drop in ad investment between February and March. Meanwhile, display experienced a 3% drop in spend.

When it came to video, however, brands jumped onboard. Overall video ad spend was up 8%.

In March, over 2500 brands bought online video advertisements. Of these brands, many accelerated their previous spending.

Notable brands that boosted their online video spend include:

• Masterclass spent over $1M in online video in March after doing very little in February.
• Microsoft Teams is up 57% month-over-month.
• Pandora spent over half a million in March on online video — after no online video spending in February. 

For more updates like this, stay tuned. Subscribe to our blog for more updates on coronavirus and its mark on the economy.

Some of this has to do with the loss of business activity among certain sectors (i.e. restaurants, tourism and other hurting industries). But aside from this is a big change in the media industry: the blacklisting of the term ‘coronavirus.’ 

When we look at native ads, we are seeing a similar trend. Advertisers are proceeding delicately with native advertising — but it’s not completely off the table. 

Let’s jump in. 

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Native Advertising in this Pandemic

While news readership and media consumption is up, advertising is down. 

Out of fear of brand safety, many brands have stopped buying ad placements adjacent to coronavirus content. ‘Coronavirus’ recently became the number one blocked term within Integral Ad Science (IAS), an ad verification company. 

“It is possible that this is a temporary measure as [brands] evaluate their stance on appearing adjacent to this type of content,” said an IAS spokesperson. The company does not recommend blocking the term coronavirus, but many brands still feel uncomfortable sponsoring hard news.

From the publisher’s perspective, native advertising is tricky at this time. Publishers have to be careful not to allow content that is spreading false information or fake endorsements. Many products appear in times of crisis — like vitamins that are a cure or false statements by celebrities. 

Despite the delicate nature of native advertising, it can still be done well. There are opportunities within certain verticals to promote impactful, accurate and brand-safe native advertisements.

Justyna Liana at Voluum DSP says that the verticals that have the most potential include:

• Health and safety 
• eCommerce
• Making money online (freelancing tools, online courses, etc.)
• Gaming and streaming
• Online dating and communication

MediaRadar was curious about what the data had to say. Here are our findings. 

MediaRadar Insights

Our data shows that native advertising has been hit hard by the coronavirus crisis. 

We see a significant drop in spend starting the week of March 8th. Spending remained low through the end of March. 

The week of March 22nd, the month-over-month spend was down 43% and the number of brands running native ads was down 10%. Brands didn’t completely stop natvie advertising but they did reduce the amount they poured into the format. 

When we look at year-over-year data, the picture becomes even more clear. 

Before the coronavirus crisis had a huge impact on the U.S., native ad spend was comparable to 2019. Figures were similar until ‘Week 11’ (March 8). This is when we see a noticeable dip that did not occur last year. Spending in the last two weeks of March (weeks 12 and 13) was down 31% year-over-year.

Some of the largest buyers of native content year-to-date include: 

• Geico
• Progressive
• T-Mobile
• Optimum
• Domino’s

This backs up Liana’s theory above that some verticals will do better with native ads in this time. For instance, insurance companies and communication services are finding ways to promote their brand in more organic ways. 

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