This article is sponsored by Verizon Media.
Right now, the digital publishing industry is under intense pressure. A rapidly evolving digital ad market, combined with the unique challenges created by a global pandemic, have changed the way many digital publishers are thinking about their businesses. While media consumption continues to increase, it’s no longer enough to stick to the status quo with your ad monetization strategy. Increasingly, savvy publishers are seeking out new sources of demand to pair alongside renewed efforts around user engagement.
At the same time, brands face pressure to expand their audiences through traditional advertising channels. However, a tumultuous news cycle has left many brand safety-conscious marketers wary of winding up in an unsuitable environment adjacent to content that may damage their brand.
To overcome these growth barriers, a new generation of native solutions is emerging that can help publishers address these challenges and move forward amid significant uncertainty.
At its core, native advertising is about finding the balance between user experience and ad monetization. Of course, putting premium content in front of the most relevant audience is at the heart of traditional native, but publishers need more than just interested eyes. Publishers should look beyond simple ad monetization of traditional placements and lean in on fresh native ad experiences to increase engagement across every device and screen. Native can be a publisher’s vehicle to deliver premium content and ad experiences, while simultaneously driving engagement within a loyal audience.
For instance, HuffPost integrated Verizon Media Recommends – a content recommendation module that powers content discovery, content recirculation and traffic acquisition into its homepage, and saw a 15% increase in overall revenue as a result of quality traffic generated by the Verizon Media Native marketplace.
Teaming up with partners such as Verizon Media, who understand publisher challenges because they are the same challenges they face on their own publishing properties, can be a valuable secret weapon in the race for viewer eyeballs. Not only do publishers-as-partners understand the powerful influence brand safety can have on marketer advertising decisions, but they also have the inventory to test and re-test native techniques to make sure they work in theory – and in practice.
By integrating unique, interactive native offerings into their own properties, including moments, carousels and content recommendation solutions, these experienced partners bring more to a native advertising partnership than ideas – they offer proven insights based on real-life case studies.
Choose a partner that understands you
Today’s publishers want to make deeper connections with their consumers – while simultaneously capitalizing on new and effective monetization opportunities. To accomplish both of these goals, seek out a partner who can offer you a direct relationship to unique demand to ensure high quality advertising, engaging environments, and improved user experience.
In a world of turbulent news cycles, misinformation and public outcry, protecting the reputation of your brand is paramount. It’s critical for publishers and marketers alike to have access to a platform built for brand safety that can provide relevant, respected, reliable context for content to thrive without exposing your brand to unexpected risk. Experienced partners, such as Verizon Media, ensure publishers receive quality ads via a combination of human review safeguards and leading proprietary technology – including control tools such as advertiser blocklisting and creative review to provide an optimal experience for users. More than ever before, it’s important to put your trust in fully vetted and trusted partners, who can help launch campaigns built on brand safety without sacrificing scale.
Sticking to the status quo isn’t enough anymore. The ecosystem needs to come together, collaborate and make connections that matter – leveraging the expertise that experienced partners can bring to the table – to create a powerful advertising ecosystem for both advertisers and publishers.
