Sandra JimenezEarly this year Media Post reported that programmatic native advertising grew 86% in 2016, but yet the overall adoption was low. Given how effective the native format is, this is very surprising. The topic of native advertising has been discussed at length in the context of content marketing, but not specifically under the programmatic-umbrella. This is because it is still a relatively new and apparently underused format. Born in 2015 when the IAB allowed programmatic native into the real-time bidding (RTB) auction for the first time, display marketers may need to be reminded of the benefits this channel brings. Programmatic native allows display marketers to shed their hard-shelled reputation of being purveyors of banner-blindness and blend in seamlessly with their user’s experience (among other wins), but let’s start with what’s familiar.
Display Marketers Already Know How to Do Programmatic Native
The good news for display marketers who are exploring the programmatic native channel is that you already know your way around. Setup, targeting, management and reporting of the different native ad display campaign types is largely the same.
The same geo, location, device-type, time-of-day targeting is possible for native display ads as it is for standard display ads. Site level reporting data like CTR and CPA metrics are available as well. The only feature that isn’t available for native display ads that is available for standard display ads is viewability tracking.
Native display ads also have a lot of the same functionality as standard display ads and this is true for different formats like audio, mobile, video and more. For example, if you want to work with standard native display ads you can make use of integrations with DoubleClick, AdX, ShareThrough, TripleLift or YieldMo. If you wanted to explore native video display ads you could make use of integrations with Unruly or Teads.
When the learning curve is practically non-existent there are no excuses for not trying programmatic native, but if you’re still not convinced, read on!
The Benefits of Programmatic Native Over Standard Display Formats
Native advertising offers its own special benefits to marketers with the promise of higher engagement. Within the realm of display marketing, native hones in on the same promise. The top benefits to marketers are:
#1. Programmatic native seamlessly connects advertisers’ messaging and brand story across all devices.
#2. It is an excellent complement to other channels and drives additional engagement and performance.
#3. Advertisers can leverage their branded content and distribute it across publishers at scale ensuring their ads are reaching the right user, at the right time, within the right context.
DMN Media reports even MORE benefits:
#4. “Instead of focusing on traditional media buying metrics…, programmatic native advertising does the hard work and gives you the opportunity to focus on the overall strategy.”
#5. “With programmatic native, you are able to adjust CPMs in real time depending on the value of your impression which can save you money.”
#6. Programmatic native ads specifically target to reach your ideal customer base using their device, geographic, browsing data and more. With this data in hand, you can learn more about your customer’s behavior to create better ad campaigns.
#7. Using programmatic native advertising, you can reach a larger audience across multiple websites resulting in better efficiency.”
Those are seven powerful reasons to start using programmatic native today, on its own or to complement other channels.
Get Into Programmatic Native!
As display continues to evolve and open up new possibilities to reach consumers with ads, the integration of native in a programmatic way is a powerful combination that marketers are only starting to take advantage of. The native opportunity for display marketers is there and this channel is likely to continue to grow as an effective format to reach consumers – get into it!
Image Credits
Feature Image: Pixabay
Pam Neely
Amal Yassin
Cassy Trussell