Native Ads vs. Display Ads and When to Use Each

Native Ads vs. Display Ads and When to Use Each

Native advertising has evolved from a shiny new strategy to a staple in media plans. While many marketers have embraced native ads, few recognize their true potential as a reliable standard for online brand communication. Let's explore the differences between native ads and display ads, and when to use each.

Native Ads vs. Display Ads

Think of native ads as "new school" and display ads as "old school." Display ads, commonly known as banner ads, have been around for ages. These brightly colored ads stand out and are often part of a multi-channel strategy. Native ads, on the other hand, are designed to blend seamlessly with the platform they appear on, like Instagram posts, Facebook updates, or TikTok videos.

Key Differences:

Native Ads: Static with images and text, recommended or branded content, blend into site content, great for educating audiences.

Display Ads: Include images, text, and can be interactive, vary in shape and size, stand out from the site, great for raising brand awareness.
When to Use Display Advertising

Display ads are ideal for increasing campaign reach and can be interactive to stand out. Use display ads when:

Low Brand Awareness: Increase visibility with bold, contrasting ads.

Visual Marketing Message: Effective for highly visual products like ebooks and infographics.

Targeting a Niche Audience: Segment your audience by interest to lower costs and reach ideal customers.

Retargeting: Show ads to users who have already interacted with your brand, such as those with abandoned carts.
Leverage bold images, colors, and interactive elements to grab attention quickly.

When to Use Native Advertising

Use native advertising if your goal is to have users perform specific actions, like reading content or making a purchase. Native ads are cost-efficient, offer easier campaign attribution, and are effective for:

Tight Budgets: Higher click-through rates (CTR) lower cost per click (CPC) and cost per action (CPA).

Campaign Attribution: Measure conversions after the click, providing hard evidence of performance.

Amplifying Brand Content: Boost content reach when organic methods are slow or limited.

Beyond Content: Combine content marketing with other strategies for a comprehensive approach.

Choosing the Right Format

Consider your main goals to decide between native and display ads:

Use Display Ads if your goal is: Impressions, unique reach, brand awareness.

Use Native Ads if your goal is: Clicks, site visitors, content reads, signups, conversions, sales.

Both ad formats are valuable tools in your marketing strategy and should be used together for maximum performance. Employ a mix of native, video, connected TV (CTV), audio, and display ads to enhance your campaigns.