What Is Native Advertising?

Native advertising is the use of paid ads that match the look, feel and function of the media format in which they appear.

Native ads are often found in social media feeds, or as recommended content on a web page. Unlike display ads or banner ads, native ads don't really look like ads. They look like part of the editorial flow of the page. The key to native advertising is that it is non-disruptive - it exposes the reader to advertising content without sticking out like a sore thumb

If native advertising looks like regular content, how can I tell it’s an ad?

Here’s the native advertising conundrum. If a native ad looks like regular content, rather than a display ad, then readers may not realize they are consuming a paid advertisement. This compromises the editorial neutrality of the publisher.

For example, imagine you clicked on an article about "The Top Five Hiking Destinations In South America", which took you to a post on the Acme Hiking Equipment blog. It’s not the same as just reading an article on National Geographic, is it? After all, the Acme Hiking Equipment company is paying the website publisher for your click. Consumer watchdogs, such as the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) and the IAB (Interactive Advertising Bureau), are at pains to regulate the use of native ads to ensure that consumers are not misled. Although native ads integrate smoothly into the web page, you can usually see that it’s a native ad by a few telltale signs.