Did you miss The Native Advertising Panel: A First-Ever Traffic Source Summit with Taboola, Outbrain, MGID, MediaGo, Revcontent & Xevio at Affiliate Summit East?
This historic panel brought together experts from leading native advertising platforms: Sofiia Zuieva (Growth Advertiser Sales Director, EMEA at Taboola), Nadim Kuttab (CEO & Co-Founder at Xevio & Native Hub), Joe Addona (Head of Global Sales – Performance Advertisers at Outbrain), Gino Aynaga (Head of Display & Native Ad Sales at MediaGo), Katie Vazquez (Strategic Team Lead, Advertising at RevContent), and Madi Bachar (VP Global Sales at MGID).
Although we can’t capture the energy of the live event, you can still benefit from the expert knowledge shared. Learn how to optimize your native ad campaigns with these essential takeaways.
Native Ads: More Than Just Another Traffic Source
The panelists unanimously agreed that native advertising should be part of every marketing mix.
“Not every user has a social app. Not everyone is going to Google to look for your product or your service,” said Sofiia. She explained that native ads give brands access to consumers with high purchasing power, drive direct conversions, and increase ads’ performance on other channels, making it a win-win.
Nadim agreed, explaining that native ads are the backbone of acquisition for the brands Xevio works with and directly impact organic and paid results.
Katie added, “People you’re targeting may not necessarily have the intent to purchase your product or submit a lead generation form upfront, but if a brand’s content and marketing funnel are strong enough, they may be able to convert users at a low CPI.”
This isn’t just anecdotal evidence. A recent Kantar study found that adding native video ads to a marketing mix improved brand awareness by 26%. Additionally, native video ads produced top-of-mind awareness for 33% of participants; when native video ads were combined with social platform video ads, top-of-mind awareness rose to 49%.
Native Ads Demand Native Thinking
What works on search or social media won’t necessarily translate into successful native campaigns.
“Put yourself in the shoes of the consumer,” advised Sofiia. “You need to make your ad assets native to the environment where they are published… and to continue to test.”
Madi reinforced this point, noting that people reading an article on a news site are in a different state of mind than those surfing Facebook, so brands should adapt their creative and overall approach for this audience.
Nadim shared the challenges of finding the right approach, revealing that his team often tests dozens of content variations per product per month to optimize performance.
The Ingredients for Successful Native Campaigns
The panelists offered practical advice for advertisers looking to make the most of native advertising.
Sofiia stressed the importance of understanding the audience on publisher websites. “They like to consume content, and you need to make it native to the environment. It’s about adapting your creatives; it’s often about creating pre-landing pages in the editorial style as well. So show the problem and then solve it, and only then take the users to your product or service page.”
Joe believes that success comes down to one thing — patience. He’s seen many fail and lose money because they jump in without getting any expert advice. He mentioned, “People just don’t have a long enough time horizon. But if you do and you invest in it, we see it works.”
Katie emphasized the power of dynamic testing and data-driven decision-making. “AB test and let the numbers speak for themselves. Then hone in and allocate your ad dollars to really what is working,” she advised.
The Future of Native Advertising
Although no one has a crystal ball to see the future, the expert panel made some predictions.
Sofiia mentioned that users increasingly expect content to be more relevant and personalized. “So maybe the formats will change, maybe the placements will change, maybe the designs will change, but what will not change is the expectations of the final user… I’m expecting AI to drive that personalization and relevancy when it comes to your creative strategies and messaging.”
Joe agreed about the importance of personalization and added, “I think having a data strategy over the next couple of years is going to be the most important thing for how you’re going to find success across the platforms, not only in creative. It’s solving personalization because you know exactly who you’re talking to.”
Gino believes AI algorithms will continue to improve, and native ad platforms will be better “equipped to answer the right ad, to the right person, at the right time.”
Conclusion
The Native Advertising Panel at Affiliate Summit East proved that native advertising is no longer a niche tactic but a cornerstone of successful marketing strategies. Experts from leading platforms underscored its ability to reach untapped audiences, drive conversions, and enhance overall campaign performance.
To thrive in this space, advertisers must adopt a native mindset, understanding that a one-size-fits-all approach won’t suffice. By tailoring creative assets, leveraging data, and embracing a long-term perspective, marketers can unlock the full potential of native advertising. As AI continues to evolve, the future holds even greater promise for personalized and effective campaigns.
The insights shared at this historic panel offer invaluable guidance for anyone looking to harness the power of native advertising. Ready to get started? Get in touch with Taboola’s experts to discuss your goals and see how they can help you achieve outstanding results. Explore the possibilities of native advertising with Xevio’s training platform, Native Hub – a valuable resource for all things native.