2015 Native Advertising Survey shows a small shift in web users’ perceptions of native advertising.
2014 SURVEY REDUX In April 2014, Semify conducted a survey to better understand the relationship consumers have with native advertising. The same survey was conducted again in April 2015 in order to gauge whether or not there has been a shift in how consumers view native advertising.CONSUMER ATTITUDES ABOUT NATIVE ADVERTISING
Each year the concept of native advertising becomes more appealing to businesses, advertising firms, and internet users. According to a Business Insider article, the estimated amount of money spent on native advertising in 2014 was $7.9 billion and is expected to reach $10.7 billion by the end of 2015—the majority of which will be targeted towards social media sites. Business Insider categorizes native advertising into three different styles: Social-native, Native-style display ads, and sponsored content. Each has its own form and function and which version to use depends on how a business prefers to communicate with its target audience. In 2013, native-style display ads only accounted for $1 billion of the total amount spent on native advertising. This number is estimated to increase to $1.9 billion in 2015, and $5.7 billion in 2018. This increase in spend on native advertising is the result of users wanting to learn more about products and services via the content they are already viewing. In fact, a 2014 Huffington Post article found that 70% of individuals preferred this way of advertising as opposed to traditional methods. The general consensus is that native advertising is working in a way that does not take away from user experience on the Web. Business Insider calls for digital marketers to understand that social native ads and other forms of native advertising will dominate the industry as more companies figure out better, more successful online tactics to reach target markets (such as using Facebook Newsfeed, promoted Tweets, and even promoted Snaps via Snapchat). What makes native advertising so enticing, and is it as lucrative as the digital media industry believes it to be? The results of a survey conducted in 2015, compared to an identical survey conducted in 2014, show a small shift in web users’ perceptions of native advertising.MAJORITY HAVE READ A “SPONSORED” OR “PROMOTED” ARTICLE ON THE INTERNET
While 2015 shows only a slight uptick in the percentage of people interacting with native ads, advertisers are encouraged to see this upward trend. Consumers are not rejecting sponsored content.
MOST COULD NOT RECALL THE LAST SPONSORED ARTICLE THEY READ AND WHO IT WAS SPONSORED BY
MAJORITY FIND MORE OR EQUAL VALUE IN A SPONSORED ARTICLE VERSUS A NON-SPONSORED ARTICLE
MOST ARE WILLING TO CLICK ON SPONSORED ARTICLES; BANNER ADS FAR LESS APPEALING
SIGNIFICANT MAJORITY NOTICE SUGGESTED LINKS AT THE BOTTOM OF ARTICLES THAT ARE SPONSORED
MOST HAVE POSITIVE FEELINGS ABOUT SPONSORED CONTENT
NATIVE ADVERTISING GETS HIGH MARKS AS A “HELPFUL” FORM OF ADVERTISING
2015 SURVEY AFFIRMS: NATIVE ADVERTISING INFLUENCES PURCHASING DECISIONS
SURVEY AGAIN REVEALS SOME NEGATIVE SENTIMENT TOWARDS NATIVE ADS, BUT MAJORITY SENTIMENT IN 2015 IS POSITIVE OR NEUTRAL
KEY TAKEAWAYS
- As long as the advertisements are relevant and non-intrusive, businesses shouldn’t shy away from this lucrative form of advertising.
- Digital marketing firms and all businesses are highly encouraged to experiment with multiple forms of native advertising. It is best to first understand the target audiences and find which type(s) of native ads work best for each group.
- Perceptions about online ads are changing due to the quality, relevance and subtle nature of native advertising. Native ads are more attractive to consumers than the “in your face” ads that were more prevalent in the past.