We talked about native ads in one of our articles almost a year ago, but it is time to update that information and to dig deeper into this subject for proving you how efficient this format really is. Let’s start by listing the main types of mobile ads for a better understanding of your options. Remember that some of them are explained in our Ad Formats Guidelines and we mentioned them along the way while we were describing various mobile marketing methods.
- Banner Ads represent the well-known format that occupies the top or bottom of the screen. When they are implemented in a smart way there are big chances to help you reach the wanted result.
Image Source: http://blog.namomedia.com/post/73435734251/goodbye-mobile-banner-ad
- Video Ads don’t need any presentation because those short clips can be used in many ways for driving a high engagement rate as you can see in the case of rewarded videos.
Image Source: http://www.nanigans.com/2014/09/09/action-how-to-choose-the-video-ad-thats-right-for-you/
- Interstitial Ads are shown on the entire screen requiring a well – thought strategy for finding the right time when users will enjoy a little break from their activity inside the app.
Image Source: https://www.revmax.com/google-hammer-mobile-interstital-ads/
- Rich Media Ads contain various elements which allow users to interact with their content. The most successful in this category are playable ads.
Image Source: http://blog.funmobility.com/2014/08/26/mobile-rich-media-advertising-anyway/
- Native Ads are a specific format that gives users the sensation that the promotional content is part of the app.
Image Source: http://thinkapps.com/blog/development/native-advertising-app-complete-guide/
How Does Native Advertising Work?
Let’s continue with native ads and to describe them in detail. Native ads match the context for providing a pleasant experience. They are suitable for all types of apps, from games to shopping apps. The most common situation is when native ads are displayed in the news feed of social apps like Twitter or Facebook. Be careful that it is mandatory to make it clear for customers that the content presented is a paid one because you don’t want to lose their trust.
Image Source: http://www.mmaglobal.com/files/documents/the_mobile_native_formats_final.pdf
Why Should You Prefer Native Advertising?
We gathered the main advantages provided by this technique if you decide to adopt it for presenting to your users’ different products inside the app, but before enumerating them it would be interesting to check some stats shared by Search Engine Watch. The numbers will help us to understand why native ads really work:
- 70% of people would rather learn about products through content than traditional ads;
- 52% of people who click on native ads have higher purchase intent than those clicking banner ads (34%);
- Forbes claimed that 20% of its 2013 revenue came from its native ad platform;
- Native ads are viewed as 53% more than banner ads;
- Native ads generate an 82% brand lift;
- 32% of consumers say they would share a native ad with their friends and family;
Catch Attention
An ad doesn’t need to be flashy and filled with a rainbow of colors to convince users to click on it. When they don’t have the sensation that somebody tries to sell them something they are more willing to pay attention to creatives inside an app, whether they are promotional images or videos. Even with the small “AD” icon, they will appreciate that the advertising content didn’t make them blind.
Image Source: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/the-science-behind-why-native-ads-work-infographic
Fewer Failure Points
Being so appreciated by users, native ads have more chances to maintain users’ engagement inside the app. It reduces the risk that users will close the app and never coming back. Besides that, after seeing the stats displayed above you can be sure that adding native ads inside the app will be a win-win situation for both publishers and brands. You need to keep in mind though that you still have to be careful with the way you create the ads. Those numbers are not obtained just by throwing any type of promotional content anywhere on the screen. If you study your analytics you will understand what users expect to receive when they open your app.
Image Source: http://blogs.forrester.com/category/native_advertising
Better Impression
According to BI Intelligence, native ads will drive 74% of all ad revenue by 2021 and this forecast will become reality because advertisers are getting very creative when it comes to attracting users’ interest. With the new technology available and with a strategy tailored to customers’ needs it is no doubt that this format will be preferred by users in the next few years. Combining native ads with other techniques will show you a better ROI than you would imagine.
Image Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/the-native-ad-report-forecasts-2016-5?r=US&IR=T&IR=T
Non – Intrusive
As we mentioned before this format is very efficient by its nature. Blending into the background allows customers to pay attention to the entire screen without developing the ad blindness syndrome. Not to mention that being non – intrusive you won’t get in a point where you will watch users how they complain about your app and they uninstall it without any chances for you to win them back. On the other hand, this is a great method to combat ad blocking and we all need to cooperate for convincing customers that ads are not created for attacking them or for interrupting their activity. It would be great if all marketers will engage users with useful content inside ads for a better impression overall.
Image Source: https://blogs.adobe.com/digitalmarketing/advertising/
Customer Targeting Options
We already discussed the benefits of serving users the right context and how you will show them respect using this strategy. This type of ads is presented to the right audience at the right time sending the message required by users. Native ads imposed a standard of providing high-quality content which is easily recognizable by users. Customers already understand that the products shown through those ads have something to do with the reason that made them open the app in the first place. You won’t show an ad for fast food in a fitness app, will you?
Image Source: https://www.thinkwithgoogle.com/marketing-resources/programmatic/programmatic-native-advertising-mobile/
FINAL THOUGHTS
In case you had doubts about using native ads, now you have more information about this format and what are the results obtained after adopting this technique. Remember that there isn’t such thing like the perfect ad but if you pay attention to the data gathered from your users and you concentrate your efforts in providing relevant content you have great chances to create a clever campaign which will help you to reach your goal.