Online Advertising: The Difference Between Native Ads and Sponsored Content

Native ads and sponsored content both play important roles in online advertising. It’s important, however, that you don’t mix them up in your marketing strategy. In this blog we’ll talk about the differences between native ads and sponsored content. 

Whether you should use native ads or sponsored content completely depends on your online marketing goals. Are you seeking to promote your products or inform your customers? 

Native ads are inherently promotional. Even if there’s educational value in the ads, the goal is to promote your product. Sponsored content, on the other hand, is all about informing your customers. There are no hints of promotion, and you’re just looking to establish some brand prestige. 

A recent Business 2 Community article explains the differences between the two: 

"Native advertising also shouldn’t be confused with sponsored content. An easy way to remember the difference is that if it’s promotional, it’s an ad and if it’s editorial, it’s sponsored content. While native advertising can have an educational component, its aim is to still convince rather than inform an audience. Native advertising uses a brand’s voice and motives to influence content."

It’s important that you understand the difference so you don’t start blending the two together. There’s a time and place for promotion, and it’s not in sponsored content. Save that for your native ads. 

Consumers don’t want to read a native advertisement that’s disguised as sponsored content. They’ll just be disappointed when they realize what you’re doing. If your title and content description don’t suggest promotion, then don’t include any. 

A common mistake we see is businesses not knowing when to be informative or promotional. This distorts the customer experience and gives them a hazy impression of your business. For the sake of your marketing campaign, it’s best to keep native ads and sponsored content separate. 

To talk more about online advertising, or anything else, please contact us. Thanks.