Well, the FTC has (finally) issued its guidelines on Native Advertising. The FTC defines Native Advertising as “content that bears a similarity to the news, feature articles, product reviews, entertainment, and other material that surrounds it online.” The popularity of Native Advertising has exploded amongst publishers, in response to plummeting click through rates with traditional advertising (think banner ads). At least for now, Native Advertising offers publishers a way to recover lost ad revenue.
Though this additional revenue doesn’t come at a price; the FTC has expressed concern that some Native Advertising is confusing to consumers.
The IAB has also published guidelines for publishers – a playbook of sorts. Publishers would be wise to read both the FTC’s and the IAB’s guidelines, as they differ in some cases.