This year we have seen an evolution in the native space, and also in suppliers offering native formats. First with Google launching Ad Sense Native in July 2017, and then Bing rolling out their new native format Intent Ads in November 2017.
A study by Sharethrough from 2017, comparing traditional display vs. native, shows higher purchase intent for native compared to traditional banner ads. This is an interesting shift, and according to native industry expects, Google launching Ad Sense Native will likely be the tipping point for native to replace display as the bulk of advertising revenue.
Moreover this year we have seen:
- A heightened requirement from advertisers and clients to be able to engage prospects higher up the purchase funnel
- A desire to be more controlled in the buying of display inventory; including brand safety, viewability and brand association
- A desire to innovate away from traditional banner formats
- We can see that the “new products” are built to respond to this demand and it is an interesting shift for display, as well as for us as media professionals planning and buying media in an ever-changing digital space
All Response Media Viewpoint
As an agency that specialises in direct response and customer acquisition, performance is always the main focus for our clients and we therefore always let that shape our media plans. Measurement is key, and before we test any new ad format, we need to understand campaign KPIs, measurement capabilities of the platform and specifically how we judge success from a performance point of view (POV). For native specifically, we need to ensure these are aligned to the role of the channel, i.e. its role in the media ecosystem.
In terms of native, we do see more clients testing more native formats across different verticals, and thinking native into the journey. We have also started to see performance come through and while analysing native performance across ARM clients, we have seen examples where native is outperforming traditional DR channels.