Category: Commentary

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 2/3

With Ben out this week I’ll be jumping in (Hollie-Blue) to look after TWINA. Another big week for news here in the US, Super Bowl LI around the corner and from native news a focus on programmatic, the future of native, revenue from content distribution and why newsletters are hot again. Notable Stories this Week How AI and New Technologies Will Push the Limits of Native Advertising. Native will reach highly customised formats, tailored to individuals… Continue reading

Hollie-Blue Allum

February 2, 2017

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 1/27

With the past week dominated by Trump headlines – we’ve all simply got on with it. Polar released some great data around the future of premium branded content and who will grab the lion share (premium publishers). Google shares some info on how many publishers it has banned – and T Brand Studio gets vocal about the evolving publisher/agency dynamic. Notable Stories this Week The [Adjective] [Number] Things You Need to Know About Clickbait. If content doesn’t leave… Continue reading

Ben Young

January 26, 2017

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 1/19

Whilst Medium shutters ads WordPress.com is expanding theirs, their little known programme WordAds added video this week. Of course the scale is completely different but interesting. Notable Stories this Week Programmatic native ads are growing – but banner habit is hard to break. My 2 cents – it’s too hard to buy programmatic native, make it easier more people will buy. Why 2017 will be the year of native content and engagement. Lousy… Continue reading

Ben Young

January 19, 2017

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 1/13

Axios kicks off this week with a fresh start and smart approach to native. I like this, a well-curated site and content will attract advertisers. Take a look at the campaigns of the week, increasingly we’re seeing more and more brand integration, to brand safe environments. Whether it’s a hub or email. Notable Stories this Week Medium gives up on ad sales, calling the system ‘broken.’ and counter to that: Politicos Veteran’s New Venture… Continue reading

Ben Young

January 12, 2017

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 1/6

Welcome to 2017! Medium’s downsizing has everyone talking, I shared my thoughts below. Great data points this week, and it seems everyone’s just rolling up the sleeves and getting in to helping native scale, addressing the barriers raised in late 2017. Notable Stories this Week Why SSPs never gained traction among China’s publishers. The ad tech renaissance, a response to Fred Wilson and Jason Kint around Facebook/Google soaking up spend, AppNexus CEO Brian… Continue reading

Ben Young

January 5, 2017

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 12/23

Closing out the year, I touch on the luxury opportunity and the rise programmatic direct, both discussions are interlinked around transparency for advertisers. Where are ads showing and are the numbers real? Fake news isn’t helping! Notable Stories this Week Another metrics mishap from Facebook. This time Instant Articles. Methbot, large-scale video advertising fraud. Video can be very dubious, especially on mobile. There’s a nice commentary on this article too, grounding the… Continue reading

Ben Young

December 22, 2016

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 12/16

Twas the week before the last week of the year – and last minute campaigns were going out left right and centre, whilst some of us were lucky enough to begin to slip away for the holiday season! It was a quiet week on the release front but some good posts for the year ahead. Yesterday, we launched The Best Native Ads of 2016, take a look, please share. And grab… Continue reading

Ben Young

December 15, 2016

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 12/9

Tough week for Breitbart, losing advertisers, left right and centre. A nightmare scenario for retargeters whose ads aren’t blacklisting. But so, it’s that time of year for wraps, trends and looking ahead to 2017. This week we have IAB members predictions for the year ahead. Keep an eye out for our The Best Native of 2016 released next Thursday, December 15th. Join the webinar to hear our discussion and analysis. Notable… Continue reading

Ben Young

December 8, 2016

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 12/1

After a break, through Thanksgiving, it’s a double whammy mega edition this week. Fake news is the big topic, with Zuckerburg unable to articulate their approach, made worse by Ev Williams’s post on Medium. A lot of informal discussion around how it impacts the companies that rely on advertising arbitrage. Notable Stories this Week Taboola, Fake News is everyone’s business. Co-founder of Reddit bags on native ads whilst… Continue reading

Ben Young

December 1, 2016

This Week in Native Ads

This Week in Native Ads 11/18

Brand safety on recommendation ads is the hot topic this week. i.e. knowing that you advertise without having detrimental content to your left or right in the recommendation grid. In tandem Facebook/Google have/are banning fake news sites from their networks. This should help address the brand safety issue by reducing supply of shit ads. Could this mean a tough quarter for recommendation companies who rely on advertising arbitrage? In the meantime brands will spend on in-feed native, viewed… Continue reading

Ben Young

November 17, 2016