Natural (native) advertizing

In the original natural advertizing is perceived as a part of the browsed website, considers features of the platform, is not identified as advertizing and does not cause in audience of rejection.

In other words, natural advertizing "is interwoven" into the main flow of content and corresponds to it on a format and contents, unlike traditional advertizing placements to which the probability of "a banner blindness" is high. The purpose of such advertizing — creation of more natural and less persuasive advertizing appeal for increase in number of clicks, sales, etc. target actions. In fact, she unostentatiously "waits" for the user where he looks for content interesting him and in the same way answers his questions, as well as not sponsored messages.

In most cases publishers claim that they mark native advertizing, at once letting know the reader what he deals with. However the research which results are published in June, 2015 on Advertising Age showed that the most clear to users and a logical in this case mark — "advertizing" (advertisement) — usually is not used.

Instead other marks — for example, by sponsored, promoted or presented by are used. Among editions which content was analyzed:

• BuzzFeed (Brand Publisher mark is used),
• The Huffington Post (Presented by),
• The New York Times (Paid For and Posted By),
• The Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post (both the last use a mark of Sponsor Generated Content).

As readers react to such advertizing

• Survey conducted by summer of 2014 of Interactive Advertising Bureau and Edelman showed that only 41 percent of users could identify from 100 percent confidence such advertizing placed on news resources.

• According to results of the research conducted by Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism in the first half of 2015, not less than a third of users feel disappointment or even consider that they were deceived when they face native advertizing. The disappointment comes when the reader, having studied similar article, finds out later that it was advertizing. In Great Britain such disappointed readers there were 33%, in the USA — it is even more, 43% (it is connected including with the fact that in the United States native advertizing appears in the press more often). It is remarkable that young users feel less often deceived by native advertizing, than the senior generation.

Types of natural advertizing

One of types of natural advertizing — the article sponsored by a brand in a form reminding editorial (engl. Advertorial — from engl. advertizing — advertizing and engl. editorial — the editorial article), with paid placement in the middle of the main not advertizing content. As a result it should not be identified as advertizing, in a form merging with other materials.

It is necessary to consider that such "masking" is absolutely expensive, and in addition does not give direct sales, thereby remaining a prerogative of large players whose advertizing strategy means long-term goals. Therefore premium brands became the main players of the market of natural advertizing worldwide by 2014: apparently, it is also a format which as much as possible answers their purpose and expectations.

Natural advertizing can represent video, images, articles, audiofiayla and other media files. As an example search advertizing (the declarations shown near issue of search systems close to them on subject) or promotion in social media — for example, on Twitter can also act: promoted tweets (the advanced tweets), trends (hashtags) and advertizing accounts. It is also possible to carry the advanced publications in Facebook and advertizing posts in Tumblr to similar advertizing. Content marketing — one more form of natural advertizing when content sponsored by marketing specialists is placed among an editorial matter, or in the "similar materials which can interest you" block along with the non-commercial texts recommended by edition.

However, in the advertizing market with might and main there are disputes, what types of advertizing to call "natural" and what after all remain sponsor's content (advertizing publications) and other types of PR activity online. In their result it is considered to be that native advertizing is the subspecies of content marketing meaning creation of trusted relationships with potential clients. Thus, native-content has more opportunities to become virus, than at normal advertizing articles, even the editorial matter which is naturally entered in a flow.

Advantages of natural advertizing

Possibility of the publication of full-fledged material with photos, video, links and other elements of media necessary to the advertiser, plus possibilities of content distribution in social networks.

100% scope and multiplatform support. During rapid development of the mobile Internet especially important what promotional material is well read out both in a web, and in mobile applications and also from screens of smartphones (the mobile audience of some popular platforms can reach 50% and more).

Increase in level of "acceptance" of information broadcast by a brand in the context of information which interested the client. A consequence of such advertizing — the general improvement of the brand attitude. On image leaving in addition the lack of aggressive advertizing messages and formats influences that also increases loyalty including to the advanced content, increasing efficiency of a campaign.

Unlike traditional advertizing, natural advertizing does not get to a zone of "a banner blindness". So, according to the research IPG Media Lab (engl.), time of viewings native-materials approximately matches a similar indicator at normal articles. Plus natural advertizing has more chances for distribution by users in social networks: were ready to be divided such ad info by survey results of 32% of respondents, and only 19% which answered not against also to arrive with banner advertizing.

Users cannot block such advertizing by any software tools, for an exception of a possibility of blocking of display of separate video elements, diagrams, etc.

However, all this has one notable minus: natural advertizing is much more complex in production. For this purpose there is not enough subject, a product and desire to tell about it — that natural advertizing did not roll down in the banal press release, it should be given skillfully, is not banal and only precisely to fit into a format of the platform showing it. There are also other difficulties: questions of budgeting, media planning both for advertisers, and for platforms.

Platforms for placement

The platforms participating in demonstration of natural advertizing can be separated into two types: opened and closed. Placement on the covered areas means what the profiles created by brands and/or content placed by them moves ahead together with the platform, with its assistance and more is not published anywhere. Examples: the advanced tweets on Twitter, the sponsored stories on Facebook, declarations of TrueView and other types of video advertizing on YouTube.

The open areas differ in the fact that in the same social media and on the same platforms the branded content and advertizing messages as which source not the platform, but a third-party resource from which, actually, and advertizing is broadcast acts is placed.

Hybrid platforms allow advertisers both to organize own marketplace, and to accept advertisers from other platforms for direct biddings (engl. programmatic buying) by means of RTB technology. An example of such platforms in an English-speaking segment is StackAdapt (engl.). It is possible to carry English-speaking resources to the open areas also:

• Adyoulike (engl.),
• AdsNative (engl.),
• TripleLift (engl.),
• Sharethrough (engl.) and
• Nativo (engl.),

allowing to broadcast as natural advertizing content from other sources.

Large platforms — such as Washington Post (engl.) — began to implement own formats of advertizing in the market.

Recommendations of Internet Advertising Bureau: how to mark native advertizing

On February 9, 2015 IAB U.K. published the first document with recommendations for the agencies, publishers and brands as it is correct to designate native advertizing which as they hope, will help to begin formation of rules of the publication of this new format. According to their recommendations, publishers should select native advertizing, supplying it with noticeable visual designations which let readers know that article which they see — advertizing.

We recommend to owners of brands, marketing specialists and publishers to adhere to three principles described below, entering the agreement with the third party to publish marketing content on behalf of a brand, a product or a sevris in a format of native advertizing. All participants should:

1. Select native advertizing among other materials, supplying it with noticeable visual designations which let readers know that they deal with marketing content which was made by the third party in a format of native advertizing and is not independent editorial content. It can achieve by several methods, including (but without being limited):

• Use of noticeable logos of brands in material or near it accurately to designate communication of a brand with content;
  
  
• Use of a material design, other than website: other fonts or a color gamma to select it among editorial content.
  
  

2. Make sure that the publisher uses rather noticeable designations (language) which explain that material commercial. It is recommended to test them on users as readers differently perceive stylistics of different publishers / platforms.

3. Make sure that marketing content in a native format follows [2] the rules CPR and CAP (and any other, belonging to the industry).

The initiative of IAB was born at the moment when native advertizing revenues in Great Britain grew to 330 million dollars, making 21% of all advertizing revenues in a year. The British publishers, also as well as their American colleagues, consider native advertizing the perspective market of development — that is why many are glad that the industry goes on the correct way^[1].

Development and use

2014: 5 main trends of native advertizing

In search of the most effective advertizing formats publishers and brands even more often come to use of native advertizing — it allows to achieve more good results, than traditional banners. In November, 2014 the MediaPost edition gave five of its main trends in the column devoted to native advertizing.

1. Earlier in the center of an ecosystem of native advertizing there were publishers, now — brands

Native advertizing began as a method to return visitors on the website and to manage traffic in it, promoting at the same time own products and services. This approach turned out so effective that publishers began to offer promotion opportunities to third-party advertisers.

2. Brands become publishers

Native advertizing requires qualitative content. Marketing specialists understood that they can create valuable content with high extent of involvement of audience and thus promote the products and services.

3. Standardization of formats of native advertizing begins

Advertisers and publishers gradually come to unification of formats of native advertizing: for example, promotional materials in the main flow of publications on the website and the recommendation of similar content already become standard. Possibly, in the future the market is consolidated around three-four popular formats.

4. Use of technologies of exchange networks and RTB in native advertizing

The next logical step after initial development of native advertizing — implementation of means of its automation which are technologies of exchange networks and auctions in real time (RTB).

5. Big Data are used for increase in relevance of native advertizing

Work with Big Data is one of the most perspective directions in many scopes of information technologies and, certainly, in the field of Internet advertizing. For example, Facebook started the mobile Audience Network advertizing network in October, 2014 and allowed third-party developers to use the data on users for advertizing targeting; then many started talking about application of these data for native advertizing.

Notes