Native advertising: Deception or engagement

Abstract: Native advertising, or paid content designed to resemble the editorial content on the site on which it is published, comprises a rapidly growing segment of online advertising.  While such forms of advertising have analogs in product placement and print advertorials, the limitless variety of approaches to online native advertising coupled with the practice’s growth have brought optimism to advertisers, agencies, and content providers at like.  Like other non-traditional forms of advertising, online native advertisements have engendered controversy on the basis that they may be potentially deceptive to consumers, who may be unlikely likely to recognize that the content they are reading has persuasive intent and has been paid for by a third party.  This chapter will provide an overview of current practices in native advertising, a review of relevant empirical research from previous similar forms of advertising.  After an introduction to the state of native advertising practices and the importance of understanding its effects.