In a digital ecosystem saturated with information, the war for attention is redefining the rules of online advertising. On the one hand, Display, the web’s historic format, is betting on immediate visibility and volume; on the other, Native Advertising offers a more subtle approach, seeking to blend in with editorial content to get around the phenomenon of “banner blindness”.
However, a successful acquisition strategy requires more than creativity and budget. It requires a thorough understanding of the distribution environment. In fact, just as it’s essential to categorize affiliate publishers in order to understand them better, it’s also important to select the advertising format (visual or integrated) best suited to the type of partner you’re working with and the expectations of your target audience.
Between visual intrusion and ergonomic integration, what are the real differences between these two levers? Click-through rates, costs, user experience: a comparative analysis to help you decide.
What is Display advertising?
Often, as you browse the web, you may see banner ads at the top of the page or next to the main content. These are Display ads. They are clearly of a commercial nature and have no connection with the content you are viewing.
Many companies use Display because it’s easy to reach large audiences without being very expensive. The banner format is highly standardized and easily recognized by digital professionals and web users alike. It generally consists of the advertiser’s logo, a call to action (buy, discover, etc.), a branded product and sometimes an explicit commercial offer.
However, while Display is an excellent way of achieving visibility, it also has a number of drawbacks. On the one hand, many advertisers use it, so there’s strong competition for this format, which increases average display costs. On the other hand, as this format is clearly associated with advertising, it is at best ignored by web users (increasingly so), or even considered negative, as it hinders browsing without offering any added value (hence the development of AdBlockers). It’s partly for this reason that the click-through rate on the display format is quite low, at around 0.05%.
What is Native Ads?
Have you ever clicked on a publication that looked like it belonged to the site you were visiting, but then redirected you to content on another site? If so, you’ve probably clicked on a native ad.
Instead of looking like a traditional ad, like Display banners, native ads take up the style and format of the site’s content. The only difference is that they are marked “sponsored” or “promoted” to distinguish them from the editorial content published by the site.
As the advertising format is similar to the site’s content, it is less intrusive and more appreciated by web users (80% of web users consider native advertising to be a form of content). Nevertheless, certain practices need to be applied, in particular to ensure consistency between the ad and the experience on the site to which the user is redirected.
Display vs. Native Ads
| Display | Native Ads |
| S’affiche comme une publicité | S’affiche comme une publication du site éditeur |
| Vente agressive | Vente camouflée |
| CTR 0,05% | CTR 0,40% |
| S’affiche sur un réseau de site éditeurs premium | S’affiche sur un réseau de site édite |
Native advertising represents a real opportunity to stand out from the competition and reach prospects in a different way. This is one of the advantages of affiliation for media start-ups. If you’re interested in running Display or Native Ads campaigns, or would like advice on what’s best for you and your business, please contact us! Our affiliate agency experts can guide you in choosing the format best suited to your needs.
