Megan Gordin
mg525717@ohio.edu
Native advertising has become increasingly popular with the rise in digital media content. Native advertisements are ads that are designed to look very similar to the news or media content on a site, making it hard for readers and consumers to distinguish the difference between the advertisement and the site's created content.
A prime example of a popular media company that uses native advertising is Buzzfeed. This article from the Native Advertising Institute shows ten examples of Buzzfeed using native advertising within the last seven years, promoting companies such as Hot Wheels, Volkswagen and Bud Light. Native advertisements on Buzzfeed's website have taken the form of Buzzfeed's infamous listicles, quizzes, articles, and even recipe videos. If not distinguished as native advertising, this branded content could easily be mistaken for regular unsponsored Buzzfeed content.
Is this content ethical? Let's look at some specific examples. This Buzzfeed listicle about sunbathing from 2015 served as native advertising for Cancer Research UK. While it is specified that Cancer Research UK is the "brand publisher," would everyday Buzzfeed readers understand that this is native advertising? According to the Federal Trade Commission's "Native Advertising: A Guide for Businesses," deceptive advertising practices should be avoided and native advertisements should be fully and clearly disclosed. Buzzfeed could have been a bit more transparent and clear about the fact that this was native advertising, but it was indicated that the article had some connection to Cancer Research UK and was clearly marked as a "paid post."
Another example of Buzzfeed native advertising is this American Express Canada and Buzzfeed collaboration from 2018. Buzzfeed worked with American Express Canada to promote American Express's new Cobalt Card. They promoted the new Cobalt Card, which is designed for young, on-the-go professionals, by creating content about traveling, food, and other content targeted toward millennial, all in partnership with American Express Canada. Buzzfeed is much more transparent about its ties to American Express Canada in the project brief, which highlights its goals, objectives, and results of working to promote the American Express Cobalt Card. The initial visual, shown above, clearly indicates a partnership between Buzzfeed and American Express Canada, and the article is marked as a "paid post."
Overall, in order to gain and maintain readers' trust, media companies must be fully transparent and truthful about its uses of native advertising. If not, it can be tricky for readers to tell the difference. As ethical advertisers and strategic communication journalists, we have to keep this and our readers in mind when creating or sharing native advertisements.
Hi Megan!
ReplyDeleteThis so well written, first of all. I had always noticed the cluttered listicles on Buzzfeed and wondered why they seemed so strange, but I never put it together that they were products of native advertising until I started learning about the telltale signs. I also agree that companies should be more visually transparent about their sponsored posts. It can be very misleading to average consumers who may not know much about native advertising. Giving them the chance to devise their own opinions while being aware of paid promotion is very important and a major ethical practice in advertising. Great job!