What is native advertising? An introduction to context-based targeting
These days, more and more brands are turning away from the obtrusive, invasive, and annoying ad format – and focussing their marketing attention towards native advertising as a more effective way of reaching their target audiences.
Native advertising works by integrating promotional content into the user’s experience in a totally different way – one that feels much more natural and unobtrusive. Whether on social media, websites or mobile apps, targeted native adverts merge seamlessly with the context or content that surrounds them.
According to research by Emodo Institute, the total spend in native advertising is expected to surpass $140 billion in 2023. This trend towards native advertising is being fuelled by the continued growth in digital media consumption, the shift from traditional desktop computers to mobile devices and a general malaise against aging advertising formats.
As consumers spend more time on their phones and tablets, they are more likely to see and engage with native advertising over more traditional ad formats. Native advertising, therefore, provides brands and businesses with a major opportunity to reach their target audiences with highly-personalised and relevant messages. But, how does it work?
How both users and brands benefit from native advertising
- Better Targeting
Native advertising embeds adverts into similar content and contexts. This means ads are more logically placed, feel more natural in their surroundings and are far less obtrusive than many traditional forms of digital advertising. It pairs ads to platforms instead of targeting individuals, enabling brands to target the specific platforms where their target audiences already spend their time, ensuring that only the right people see the ads.
- Increased Engagement
With native advertising, adverts appear in context – sometimes not appearing to be ads at all. As a result, users are more likely to engage with the adverts, whether by clicking an ad, reading an article or watching a video. This increase in engagement translates directly into better brand awareness and higher conversion rates.
- Improved User Experience
Native advertising is designed to blend in with the platform on which it is displayed. This means that it does not disrupt a user’s experience or feel like an unwanted interruption. In fact, native advertising often enhances a user’s experience by providing relevant suggestions and useful information.
- Increased Brand Awareness
By creating content that aligns with a platform and resonates with its target audience, brands can create a lasting impression on users, boosting brand awareness. Native advertising content is also shareable, which means that users can spread the messages to their friends and family, further increasing an ad’s reach.
- Higher Conversions
Native advertising has been shown to deliver higher conversion rates than traditional forms of online advertising. This is due to the many reasons already listed: they’re less disruptive, more engaging, better targeted and add real value. If a user sees a native ad for a product they are interested in, they are more likely to take action, clicking on the ad and making a purchase.
Takeads – Mitgo’s native advertising solution
Takeads, a Mitgo business, is fully-focused on native advertising through contextual targeting.
Instead of analysing user data, Takeads’s algorithm analyses content to determine the interests of its readers. By looking at the text, links and photos within a website and its subpages, Takeads can determine which advertising messages and ad formats should appear to a user viewing a particular page, offering only targeted advertising messages that resonate with users and their interests.
Would you like to know more about native advertising, chat with our experts – and find out how Mitgo can help your business grow? Come visit us in Hamburg at OMR 2023 or drop us a line here.
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