Is It An Article Or An Advertisement? Native Advertising Under The Microscope

Is it an article or an advertisement? Or both? That is the question raised by native advertising as the ability for consumers to decipher between the two becomes an increasing concern for regulators and advertisers.

Native advertising blurs the line between the native content of a website or publication and advertising through the creation of content that mirrors regular editorial content, but is in some way sponsored by or in support of an organization or brand. With rapidly falling click-through rates in more traditional internet advertisements, and ad revenue diminishing for web publishers, both advertisers and publishers are hoping that the growing model of native advertising can attract and keep consumer attention on branded content and thus generate revenue. However, such blended content can also confuse or even deceive, and with the rapidly increasing use of the practice, regulators are also beginning to take a closer look.