Friday 17 July 2015
Decimal Gets Original with Native Advertising
“Ambiguity: open to or having several possible meanings or interpretations;equivocal”
In the Advertising Industry, this is better known as Native Advertising.
When social media first graced us with its presence in the early 20th century, the idea of paying for content on these platforms was frowned upon. In fact, it became the black sheep of the social media family.
But the ugly duckling has evolved into a beautiful swan. Native advertising has taken on many forms, evolving from “editorials”, radio programmes and branded TV shows to promoted tweets and Facebook sponsored stories. These days, native advertising is on the tongue of the entire ad industry and, in some cases, is even referred to as the rebirth of advertising.
Why is native advertising so popular? Well, it works...
IPG Media Lab and Sharethrough recently conducted a study that surveyed 4,770 consumers of B2C brands like Southern Comfort and National Geographic and found that people:
- View native ads 53 percent more than traditional displays;
- Have an 18 percent higher purchase intent after viewing native ads as compared to banner ads; and,
- Are 13 percent more likely to share native ads as compared to regular banner ads.
More than 92% of social media influencers say that have, or would consider accepting compensation from an advertiser to promote a brand through their social accounts.
In fact, traditional outbound marketing has started taking a backseat to this controversial method of reaching consumers. According to a survey, 72% of clients have actually requested native advertising as part of their marketing solution.
However, when native advertising is done poorly, the results can be as bad as it is good when done correctly. It is all about execution.
Wasserman shares the cautionary tale of Atlantic Media and the native-advertising industry’s first big flop: An article commissioned by the Church of Scientology that “read like warmed-over PR.” The target market was irritated, and the media had a field day. The negative publicity caused havoc, and a lot of corrective action had to be taken.
However, when done correctly, the consumer doesn’t care that the content is paid for. The advertising is giving them something entertaining to spend their time on. In fact, they even have the need to share it, reaching a bigger target and building your brand.
The increase in social media spending noted by E.J. Schultz notes the following: “The increase in social media spend is justified by the 24/7 demands today’s consumers place on brands. It’s important to adapt to the shift in customer expectations, but it’s also necessary to be realistic: You can’t be respond to every inquiry in a timely manner.”
So, what does native advertising to do with Decimal Agency?
As a TTL (Through the Line) agency, Decimal employs a professional, informed and successful method of native advertising, combined with more traditional methods. With over 50 years of combined experience in the marketing industry, Decimal constantly finds new and innovative ways to reward your consumers with actions that build trust, faith and strong relationships.
