<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"As click-through rates for banner ads have dropped to just .09%, momentum is growing to get beyond ad formats that interrupt. The push for new advertising models stems from the fact that we have entered into a \u201Cpost-advertising\u201D era. Interruption and poor visual integration are no longer viable branding mediums in a world where consumers are now in full control of their media. In response to this fundamental shift in media, a new wave of \u201Cnative\u201D advertising models are emerging that fit with today\u2019s social, connected web experience. \nNative advertising models present a new form of inventory that seamlessly integrates content from brand advertisers into the site experience. Sites like Facebook, Twitter, WordPress, and Gawker all offer native ad formats that are well integrated, user-initiated and content based.\nThis means there are now many opportunities for brands to \u201Cgo native\u201D in creative ways. Here are five types of native advertising every brand marketer should consider.\n1. Promoted Videos\nPromoted videos are paid brand videos that appear alongside editorial content or user-generated video content. YouTube was one of the first video sites to offer brands an opportunity to promote videos in this fashion, and many marketers are already taking advantage of the promoted video ad units that appear alongside relevant search results. This form of native advertising lets brands target appropriate audiences while keeping the same format of non-sponsored YouTube clips \u2014 and their video is shown as the first or second search result.\nBut there are many other ways for brands to distribute their videos natively, and new opportunities appear every day. For example, Tumblr recently rolled out a new native ad unit called \u201Chighlighted posts\u201D which allows marketers to promote posts on their Tumblr blogs. This now offers brands a way to promote their video content (or other medium) in a way that is native to the Tumblr platform. There are also a number of native video distribution platforms brands and agencies can work with to distribute their videos across multiple sites.  \n2. Promoted Articles and Posts\nWith the early success of native formats on Facebook and Twitter, brands can now promote their content in similar ways on blogs and other editorial sites. For example, Gawker introduced sponsored posts in 2009, which have become \u201Cthe atomic unit of Gawker Media's branded content offering.\u201D These brand posts show up in the same format as the other news of the day and are marked by the word \"sponsored.\" Gawker offers brands editorial help to ensure posts are written in the same conversational tone that Gawker readers enjoy. Gawker\u2019s sponsored posts can also be easily shared among social properties like Facebook and Twitter. According to Gawker, more than 75% of its brand partners use sponsored posts.\n3. Promoted Playlists\nDigital music streaming services like Spotify have also launched native advertising environments for brands. Spotify introduced branded playlists and branded apps in April, a little less than a year after launching in the U.S. A branded playlist is a collection of songs presented with branded cover art image and text, which can include a link to a webpage. A branded app is integrated inside Spotify, and offers a portal for brands to present playlists and messaging. A great example of a brand already taking advantage of Spotify\u2019s native ad offerings is Rolling Stone. Spotify users can subscribe to Rolling Stone\u2019s app to hear playlists recommended by the brand. \n4. Promoted Images\nPromoted images feature brand messaging alongside a picture that is native to a site\u2019s design. For example, the Cheezburger network, famous for its humorous images and memes, has partnered with brands to create engaging ad opportunities. One campaign to check out is Electronic Arts\u2019 promotion of its Sims 3 Pets game. Images of Sims animals form the basis of a caption contest, which then causes the branded images to be proliferated throughout the site. \nImgur also recently started experimenting with promoted images in its image gallery. A great example of a promoted image campaign on Imgur is Mekanism\u2019s native ads for Brisk iced tea, which pairs their messages with an image from the popular and viral Scumbag Steve meme.\n5. Sponsored Listings\nWebsites that aren\u2019t chock full of images, videos or blog posts can still offer brands native ads through sponsored listings. These paid ads are presented in a fashion that looks identical to the products or services consumers are already shopping for. For example, Amazon now offers third-party ad networks the opportunity to buy sponsored links, or a product ad that fits seamlessly into the browsing experience. If a consumer visits Amazon to shop for golf clubs, a sponsored link offering a discount on brand golf clubs would appear near the search results, but would take the consumer to an external website to buy the product. \nYelp also allows restaurants, retail shops, brands or anyone other business being reviewed on the site to buy ad placements native to the site\u2019s experience. By presenting an ad at the same time a potential consumer is searching for a specific item, branded ads like these can achieve extremely high click-through rates. Yelp ads are placed as the first search result and are noted by a \u201CYelp Ad\u201D text and with slight yellow shading. Otherwise, they look and feel exactly like a Yelp search result.\nNative advertising is the undeniable future of online advertising. Could you imagine Pinterest, Viddy, or another hot new social site announcing its advertising strategy as \"we sell banners?\" Native inventory is a permanent change for online advertising. Facebook will not ditch sponsored stories and go back to its banner ads that got abysmal click-through rates. Twitter never even tried a display strategy. You can bet the next generation of entrepreneurs is paying attention, and their starting point will be native."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/06/28/get-creative-with-native-ads/>