eMarketer estimates US print ad spending will decline from $32.16 billion in 2014 to $31.29 billion in 2018. Digital ad spending on newspapers and magazines will increase to $8.41 billion by 2018, from $7.48 billion in 2014, but these gains will still leave the industry essentially flat for the forecast period. With these numbers as a backdrop, it’s easy to see why media companies are so eager to create new revenue streams through native ads.
Brand marketers and agencies do not have the same urgency as publishers, but they are just as eager to gain an edge over their competitors—and native offers a way to do that. In an August 2013 Sharethrough study, awareness was the top marketing objective for native mobile ads among US digital marketing professionals. Other leading objectives included branding and brand affinity. Purchase intent and lead generation were further down the scale, indicating that native ads (at least on mobile) are more a branding play than a direct-sales driver. Read the rest at eMarketer.
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