How Native ads will change 2013 business

Native advertising is getting more buzz as brands look for better ways to engage. Native advertising, in a nutshell, is content that contains a branded message and integrates with websites indigenous news feeds/streams. This kind of advertising helps to create a deeper engagement level with the consumer.
by Kristina Knight

Hayes Davis, CEO, Union Metrics: [Native advertising is] a challenge for advertisers because it requires more creativity, but the beauty of native ads is that the experience is seamless, so no matter what device (e.g. computer, tablet, mobile devices) customers are using they get the ads in a consistent manner and can immediately engage in a natural way. As the performance of display ads continues to dwindle, brands and marketers will look to native advertising to connect with customers in a manner that is non-invasive and adds value -- therefore delivering higher ROIs. We are already seeing the emergence of such ads on networks like Facebook, Twitter and Tumblr.

Kristina: What can brands do now to integrate native ads?
Hayes: As marketers and brands begin to experiment with native ads they should keep in mind the platform and the type of media that resonates with the community. The content for a native ad on Twitter might not be the be same as one on Tumblr. Test various kinds of content and measure engagement to see what works for your brand and customers.

Kristina: How will advertising change in the New Year?
Hayes: ROI as measured by click-through rates will not be the holy grail of online advertising. In 2013, companies will see the value in building communities outside their own website presence and seek out ways to measure performance holistically by combining engagement metrics with more traditional attribution metrics.

Source: How Native ads will change 2013 business