Marketers will spend $41 billion on native advertising this year. By 2021, native advertising is expected to make up 74% of all ad revenue. Many marketers acknowledge that in the increasingly crowded media space the best way to stand out is to blend in.
What is Native Advertising?
Native advertising is any form of advertising designed to blend into its environment. It is a huge category that includes everything from detailed articles (such as this example from the New York Time’s T Brand Studio) to product placement in movies to simple text ads placed unobtrusively on sidebars.
It’s Beloved, But is it Sustainable?
Native advertising’s use has skyrocketed since its emergence in 2012. However, despite its rise to dominance spending on native advertising appears to be plateauing. Why? A big part is that marketing budgets as a whole are plateauing. However, some have started to question the long-term viability of native advertising especially as consumers become more aware and start pushing back.