We’ve covered the question “What is native advertising?” several times, stressing that it’s not a new component of publishing revenue, but rather a fresh take on advertorial for the digital age. Another term for it? Sponsored content. In other words, content that brands craft themselves to resemble surrounding magazine content and then pay for placement, or content that brands pay the magazine’s in-house studio to create plus place. This includes article-like text, video, infographics, and more. One important caveat here is that brands – or the publishers they’re paying, for that matter – cannot, by law, mislead consumers. That line has been bent, stretched, blurred, and seemingly redrawn over the years, with various parties weighing in. But rarely have we had the opportunity to hear what readers actually think about the native ads they’re expected to digest. MinOnline reports on a recent study that provides just such an opportunity. Let’s start there today!
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