A new trend for 2013: Ads will come from articles and vice versa

Each month Executive Digital Director of JWT South Africa, Yoav Tchelet, discusses critical digital issues, branding and social media strategies, and more on his site. His latest post looks at the changing world of advertising and the answer to connecting with consumers: content. 

It seems that there will be an important new trend in 2013: ads will be articles and vice versa. Essentially, the world of marketing and advertising is changing. Change is necessary in order to keep up with a world that has varying needs, which are also changing on a regular basis.

Don’t Rely On Banners and Pop-Ups Anymore

In this day and age, everybody knows how to get rid of banner ads and pop-ups haven’t worked for years according to Inc.com

It is a shame that customers are able to circumnavigate this way of marketing, particularly when considering that they spend more and more time online. So, it seems that we need to find a way to connect with people and this can only be done through content.

It’s All About the Content

Content can be anything from blog posts to slide shows and from white papers to podcasts. The point is that a customer becomes engaged with what they are presented and they want to share their newly acquired knowledge with others. There are some fantastic examples out there that provide us with engaging videos or blogs while at the same time selling us a product. But it isn’t just about creating fantastic content, it is also about making sure that your content gets read. Sure, you can use the social media platforms in order to achieve this, but experts say that the most important thing to get involved in is native advertising.

Native Advertising Is the Way Forward

It is likely that you have already come across the term “native advertising” if you have any type of online business. It seems, however, that there isn’t much clarity on exactly what this type of advertising actually is.
The following definition has been provided by Solve Media:

“Native advertising refers to a specific mode of monetization that aims to augment user experience by providing value through relevant content delivered in-stream.”

This means that the content has to be fully integrated with the layout and look of the online source on which it is posted. Proof that this works is found on Facebook, where “sponsored story” ads had a click through rate of 53% higher than those experienced by display ads.

Continue reading about how to make the shift, click here.

— Yoav Tchelet is Executive Digital Director of JWT South Africa and publishes a range of unique digital insights on his personal site, which we syndicate here. To read his last post “Why Social CRM Is Important In Today’s Digital Age”, click here.