With consumers becoming more cynical about traditional advertising, and ad blockers increasingly prevalent, native advertising is often mentioned by industry professionals as the ‘future of advertising’.
With that in mind, Warc and King Content surveyed more than 300 marketing and advertising professionals in 16 countries across Asia Pacific to learn more about how they are using native advertising and the opportunities and challenges the medium raises for their business. Respondents included brand owners, creative and media agencies, media owners and content experts among others.
Questions addressed how marketers are incorporating native into their wider marketing strategies, the types of content that brands are amplifying, the challenges they are facing and how they are measuring return.
The data revealed four key findings:
- Two thirds of those surveyed had a positive or very positive sentiment toward native and just 7% of those surveyed would not recommend native advertising to a client.
- Despite the intention to invest more in native advertising, 69% of marketers did not have a specific strategy in place for the medium.
- Marketers prefer to use native at the beginning of the path to purchase, with particular focus on brand awareness and engagement. But respondents also consistently raised issues with connecting native initiatives to real business results.
- Editorial formats proved most popular for native content, with online video and newsfeed placement also faring well.
Native advertising is a cost-effective way for brands to amplify their marketing efforts and capture hard-to-reach consumers [who are] more cynical toward traditional advertising,” said Ed Pank, managing director, Warc Asia Pacific.
“But just 4% of respondents cited sales as a motivator for native advertising investment, indicating issues linking native initiatives to real business results. Effectiveness and attribution capability are likely to be major focus areas for marketers going forward.”
Two thirds of those surveyed had a positive or very positive sentiment towards native advertising, with almost a third already using the medium and 61% likely to consider native for future plans.
In Asia-Pacific, native advertising will amount to $14.1bn, indicating that native advertising is a point of discussion across the industry, not just for media investment.
“Though brand owners in particular feel positive about native advertising, the lack of strategy for the medium is a concern,” said Leanne Brinkies, global head of native advertising at King Content.
“Most respondents would recommend investing in native advertising. However, clearer strategies, effective measurement and more education will be necessary for brands to generate long-term return on investment.”
