Native content faces the programmatic challenge

By (incomplete) | 30 July 2014
 

The spectre of native advertising being embraced by media unwilling to allow it to be clearly identified and driven by programmatic buying could have a massive impact on the ability of publishers to deliver quality native content, a panel of publishers and broadcasters has warned.

Outspoken media commentator Bob Garfield labelled native advertising a “con game” during the ADMA Global Forum yesterday, while Forbes chief insight officer Bruce Rogers said he hoped native content driven by programmatic buying would not gain traction.

Forbes has developed its own native content model, BrandVoice, which Garfield held up as a model for the industry.

BrandVoice has delivered strong numbers for Forbes since its introduction.

“To us native advertising is what Outbrain dies. It's the headlines at the bottom of the page that have that provocative picture and provocative headline,” Rogers said.

“I think brand journalism, what we see is more about meritocracy - information that's valuable and in some cases more valuable than even editors have.”

Rogers said Forbes' clearly identified approach was the best way to deal with the opportunities being created by the rise of native.

“We think we are providing a service both to the reader and to the marketer and I think it's not a blurring of the line, its actually a strengthening of the line between church and state."

However, Garfield questioned whether consumers would gravitate towards clearly identified native content.

“Is it not true that if native advertising is disclosed as advertising it does not get the click-throughs than if it were undisclosed. So what's happening is not a brand giving its audience the benefit of its special expertise, but rather a conspiracy between the publisher and the advertiser to mislead the audience,” Garfield said.

“As it is most often practiced with insufficient disclosure isn't it a con game, isn't it deception, isn't it a grift?”

Rogers said that with the challenges faced by publishers monetising their content, some would be willing to take the risk of not disclosing native content.

“I hope it goes away. I don't think it will. I think it will get fed into the same ecosystem, that algorithmic ecosystem of all impressions and it will be all mechanised and automated.

“One would hope that good content wins in the end in a glass-half-full world that people don't click on (undisclosed native) content, that they learn that the picture or GIF of the cute cat or the busty woman is not going to lead you to content that you thought it was anyway … maybe people will stop.” 

Pick up the current issue of AdNews in print to read out profile of Bruce Rogers and Forbes native content strategy. Subscribe to the print issue here, or get it here on your iPad.

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