Native ads work because they seamlessly blend into the look and feel of the platforms where they appear, capturing over twice the attention of traditional banner ads while building trust through educating and informing. With trends like branded native video hotter than ever, combined with content-driven landing pages, Native ads are set to remain a powerful, non-intrusive tool for digital marketing success.

Key Takeaways:

  • Informative, Educational Content: the preference for educational over aggressive sales tactics indicates that consumers are looking for more than just a product; they seek value and knowledge. Native ads cater to that! Brands that provide informative and educational content are likely to foster loyalty and trust, which can lead to higher conversion rates.
  • Importance of Landing Pages: The effectiveness of Native ads is highly contingent upon the quality of landing pages. Users are more likely to convert when they land on content-rich pages that provide detailed product information and benefits.
  • Native Ads vs. Display Ads: Understanding when to use Native ads and when to use traditional Display ads is crucial for marketers.
  • Content of Native Ads: the success of Native ads is significantly influenced by the quality of copy and visuals used.  Think attention grabbing headlines and informative text.
  • Rising Trend of Native Video: with Native Video accounting for a substantial portion of video ad spending, it’s clear that this format is becoming increasingly vital for brands.

 Why do Native ads work?

First, recall what they are – Native display or video ads go across all devices and match the look, feel, and context of the website or app where they are seen, using our targeting strategies. Why do they perform?

  • Attention: Native ads receive more than 2x the attention of banner ads. Native ads are read, not just seen (like Display Ads). Most of the visual focus is on a Native ad’s text rather than the image.
  • Consumer Trust: 70% of users prefer ads that blend seamlessly with content rather than disrupting it​​. They are perceived as more trustworthy (31% more trusted than social ads).
  • Personalization: 90% of Gen Z, Millennials, and Gen X prefer personalized Native ads over traditional formats​.

(Stats Source)

Are there Native ad trends that can be leveraged in 2025?

Yes! Leveraging new trends is the name of the game and staying ahead of the curve with digital advertising is critical. Keep a pulse on:

  • Implementation of Native Video: Branded videos embedded in publisher content create higher engagement and awareness​. Clients often confuse outstream video or pre-roll/mid-roll video ads with Native Video ads. They are not the same thing.
    • Outstream Video ads are embedded in the content but there is no branding (client name, headline, description text), no matching to the webpage’s format, no customization. It disrupts user experience.
    • Pre-roll/Mid-roll Video ads play before or during the content the person has chosen. It is not a part of the content of the webpage.
    • Native Video ads are embedded in the content but disclose the brand name, and include descriptive, informative text that match the publisher’s look and feel.
  • Content-Driven Landing Pages: Native ad clicks should lead to pages rich with product benefits and educational value, not generic homepages, to improve conversions​.  When Native ad users click on Native ads, they want to land on content-oriented landing pages that provide valuable information about products or services – to be informed and educated. These landing pages should not simply redirect users to the homepage but rather offer insights into:
    • Product Benefits: Clear explanations of how the product works and its advantages.
    • Value Communication: Educational content that aligns with the interests of the target audience.

Directing ad traffic to the homepage, if it doesn’t contain the info the user wants, leads to low conversions.  Content-rich, educational landing pages drive better engagement and ROI.

When should you use Native ads and when should you use regular Display ads?

Each type of ad can be beneficial in their own way because they really do different things.  This graph shows the strength of each and when to use:

Targeting of Native ads:

There are many ways to target your Native ads.

  • Machine learning via AI Targeting optimizes ad delivery based on real-time engagement, ensuring relevance​ and that the Native Ad is shown to more people like the ones who have engaged with it.
  • We have hundreds of thousands of Behavioral Targeting categories to choose from so that we can match up the Native ads to target people who have shown an interest in what the advertiser is offering.  We also have premium B2B and recruitment categories we can use.
  • Keyword Targeting is ESPECIALLY effective with Native ads.  This is where we can target a list of keywords that relate to the advertiser’s business and when they appear on webpages the Native ad is displayed.  Think about it, people are already reading about a topic – how great if your Native ad appears on that page and relates to what the person is reading about.
  • With Native ads you can Geo-Fence and Geo-Retarget.  This is where we draw a virtual fence around an area the advertiser is interested in (maybe a competitor?) and serve Native ads to people while they are inside the geo-fence and follow them after they leave the go-fenced area and continue to serve them ads.
  • Do you have a database list?  We can use Custom Audience Matching, which is where we take your list of people you want to reach and find them when they go online and then serve them the Native ad.  Additionally, we can generate a Lookalike Audience of the people on your list and serve the Native ads to them as well.

We recommend mixing and matching multiple targeting strategies to maximize performance.

Advantages of Native advertising

  • Informative and Educational: Content-rich and context-aligned ads improve user interaction and return on ad spend​​. Native ads have more valuable text real estate available to communicate a message, tell a story, inform, and educate the target audience within the ad unit itself, instead of ONLY relying on a landing page to do this for you. Descriptive headlines can improve brand perception and using descriptive words that align with the brand’s values will make them more memorable to the Native ad viewer.
  • Call-To-Action:  With Native ads your call-to-action link can say whatever you want – get creative and go beyond “Learn More” and “Click Here.”
  • Wide Applicability: Native ads work across all industries and types of companies, including regulated sectors like medical, CBD​​ and cannabis, weapon’s, fireworks, alcohol, tobacco, and adult clubs.
  • Seamless Integration: The dynamic nature of Native ads ensures ads match the publisher’s format, increasing user trust​​.

Native ads are more relevant than ever for digital in 2025 with their ability to deliver personalized, non-intrusive, and contextually relevant content. Prioritize creative alignment, advanced targeting, and engaging landing pages to maximize effectiveness.