There is a scene from the movie, “He’s Just Not That Into You,” where Jennifer Connelly’s character is asked by her husband, played by Bradley Cooper, to identify which flooring sample was wood and which was laminate. She incorrectly guesses, and Cooper explains how they look the same but one is cheaper. Connelly’s character still insists on the real wood, saying about the laminate, “I don’t like the way it’s pretending to look like wood. If your aren’t wood, don’t try to look like wood.” She continues, “This is a lie... just be upfront and tell people what you really are.” Click here to view scene: https://nyti.ms/1xhDgND Whereas if you have seen the movie, you know Connelly’s character is referring to Cooper’s infidelity, it is also a good analogy for Native Advertising and is sound advice for how advertisers should approach it. Are you familiar with Native Advertising? When I posed this question to my Twitter followers on @littlemissmktg, 60% had heard of it but couldn’t say they knew what it was, and 40% had never heard the term before. By definition, native advertising is disguised advertising, usually online, that matches the form and function of the platform it is on. In other words, it is an ad that doesn’t look or feel like an ad, but instead like a typical piece of content that would be shared on that website or social media platform. Have you ever noticed the sponsored posts on Instagram or the promoted tweets on Twitter? The advertisement looks like a tweet, smells like a tweet, and tweets like a tweet, but at the end of the day it is an advertisement, complete with a call-to-action for the consumer. In addition, the promoted Instagram posts, although clearly marked “sponsored,” include eye-catching photos and catchy captions. What are the differences between these posts and the other Instagram posts in your feed? One, they are posted by companies or people you may not even follow, and two, they usually have a “shop now” or “learn more” button that will lead you to their website. Otherwise, they match the “form and function” of their platforms they are posted on perfectly for a seamless user experience and transition from content to advertisement. The previous examples are pretty easy to spot. However, there are many other forms of Native Advertising, and a few that may be considered by some to be tricky. Buzzfeed is a popular source of social and digital media news and entertainment. When you are scrolling through Buzzfeed’s feed of articles, you may have noticed some of the articles say “promoted by” in the corner. When you click on these, you are taken to articles that look just like Buzzfeed’s typical content, only it is content that is sponsored by the company, and not Buzzfeed. As a test of how apparent native advertising is to consumers, I asked a friend to scroll through the Buzzfeed site on their mobile device and to point out all of the advertisements he recognized. He successfully picked out the native advertisements from the articles. Next, I instructed him to click on one, and he chose the Seinfeld one entitled, “Only True ‘Seinfeld’ Fans Can Get 9/9 On This ‘The Contest’ Quiz.” The link opens to a quiz and mentions Seinfeld as the “brand publisher.” He was immediately immersed into the Seinfeld quiz, quickly answering the questions, while laughing and continuing to quote the rest of the scenes. He finished the quiz, although he wouldn’t share his score, and went back to watching television. What is interesting, is that although he identified it as an ad in the feed from the “promoted by” mark, once he had opened the quiz, he was oblivious to the fact that it was all just an advertisement. Click here to try the quiz: www.buzzfeed.com/seinfeld/can-you-finish-every-quote-from-the-contest-episode-of?utm_term=.mxq6Zlwrrk#.rc7neMBQQb If you go to an article from Buzzfeed’s website, native advertising is clearly marked with the term "promoted by." However, if you go to the article through an outside link like via social media or email, then the difference between advertisement and actual Buzzfeed content can be a little less clear. For an example, click on the following link: www.buzzfeed.com/lavazzausa/chic-coffee-pairings-that-will-transport-you-str?utm_term=.fv47v4bGGQ#.yvERVWYZZe The article is entitled, “These Coffee Pairings Will Transport You Straight To Italy” and has Lavazza USA as the “brand publisher.” At first glance, you would think the article is a typical Buzzfeed article, however, it is just an advertisement for Lavazza USA. Interestingly enough, every pairing is with a Lavazza USA coffee product, complete with a link that takes you to the website to make your purchase. Finally, an example of really bad native advertising execution was the scientology ad placed in The Atlantic in 2013. The Atlantic posted the following apology for the sponsored content, saying: “...we have decided to withdraw the ad until we figure all of this out. We remain committed to and enthusiastic about innovation in digital advertising, but acknowledge--sheepishly--that we got ahead of ourselves. We are sorry, and we're working very hard to put things right.” and an employee further elaborating on the statement said, “That ad was a mistake in both concept and execution. I am sorry that we ran it in the first place, which we and others will always remember as an error; but I think the quick response and forthright statement reflect the best parts of the magazine's tradition.” link: www.theatlantic.com/national/archive/2013/01/the-scientology-ad/267198/ Like all advertising, Native Advertising can be good or it can be bad, depending on the approach. A good native advertisement is clearly marked as an ad, preferably by understandable terms like “sponsored by” or “promoted by.” The advertisement should add value to the consumer in the form of knowledge or entertainment, and should not be a sales pitch. Twitter user @QuelTheWriter tweeted, “I don’t have an issue with sponsored or branded content so long as it’s demarcated as such, at least so I know there’s the potential for bias.” he continued, “On one hand, I don’t see anything wrong with native advertising if… it’s actually genuine reporting tangentially related to the sponsor, whereas I think it’s really dishonest to run pieces like the Atlantic ad.” Advertisers should avoid trying to deceive the consumer and remember that transparency is always a good route to take in order to gain consumers’ trust. You may fool a customer once, but odds are you won’t twice. Avoid trying to trick or deceive customers, and instead, be clear that this content is an advertisement. In other words, take a cue from Jennifer Connelly’s character, if you aren’t content, don't try to lie and act like content. Just be upfront about what you really are, in this case, an advertisement.
1 Comment
11/25/2017 09:35:51 pm
Really great write-up Casey! I really appreciate you breaking down the concept of native advertising to be more easily understood. I really like that you ran an impromptu case study with your friend that shows the obvious effects, both good and bad, of well-written native advertising.
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Author@littlemissmktg is a current marketing student at Northern Kentucky University. She loves all things branding and marketing and welcomes any comments or insights. Archives
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