Many marketers are looking to native advertising to keep consumers interested and engaged, as classic banner ads and other familiar forms are losing their impact. Content marketing has its own issues, as some fear “content blindess” may dull the impact of native ads. During the recent 4A Conference the term was a hot topic for discussion, and was brought up during a panel.
AdAge reports that a number of high-profile players took part in the panel, discussing the problems that can come with native advertising, and what happens when some companies go too far, thus running a danger of dulling the impact of the marketing campaign.
“There’s banner blindness. Over time, we’ll start to see more and more content blindness,” said Elena Sukacheva, managing director of global content solutions group for The Economist Group. “We’ll see more and more marketers releasing control of the messaging.”
This control became a hot topic with the participants of the panel, who also chimed in with their thoughts. Production of native advertising is certainly on an upswing, but it helps to keep control of such campaigns.
Jimmy Maymann, CEO of the Huffington Post, said that digital publishing nets a third of its revenue from in-house content marketing teams, but also noted that the usage of native content allows publishers and brands conventional messaging opportunities.
That leaves room for more digital ads, although, again, there’s a question in regards to overuse. “Marketers really miss the mark when they communicate to an audience,” Ms. Sukacheva added.
Economist’s study showed that 93 percent of marketers surveyed reported connecting content with products and services. Furthermore, 75 percent of said content should frequently mention products. The majority of the audience, however, claimed they tune out from content that sounds too much like a sales pitch. Instead, they wanted content that had a utility or was related to insights or ideas.
So there is room for improvement in the market, and Jason Hill, global director of media and content strategy for GE, noted that cooperation between marketers, publishers and agencies is vital when it comes to shaping together better content. “People still love a great story, well-told,” he noted. “I think great stories can be told in native. I think it’s also easy to do a lot of crap in native.”