This is because it creates a seamless experience for the reader and offers a diversity of multi-platform offerings, aligned with media consumption patterns.

Native adverting usually refers to a digital offering and matches the form and function of the platform on which it appears. The word native refers to the content's coherence with other media on the platform, so a native advert promoting a brand would have the same editorial style as other articles in the publication.

“The focus of the Ads24 campaign is to bring awareness to our native offering.  We believe that we can give clients greater value by immersing them into the different communities that we have relationships with through native advertising.  The additional 10% discount we are offering is a launch offer to trade to encourage them to take this journey, that we believe will be of great benefit to them, with us” says Gaafele Mbele, portfolio manager: Digital at Ads24.

Ads24 no longer sells online and print advertising separately, but rather offers solutions which include both. The thinking behind this was that the audience consumes the various Media24 brands seamlessly regardless of the platform. 

“It is with this view in mind that we believe that our advertisers would greatly benefit from talking to these communities across the various platforms that are available, and to use each platform for the purpose that it was created.  We believe that we can offer our advertisers an opportunity to engage with our audience, rather than only talk at them,” says Mbele.

Ads24 solutions are tailored specifically for each client with specific objectives in mind. There is no one size fits all approach. The offering to each client is based on intimate knowledge of their brands and products. A solution is designed that will best leverage each of the platforms within each community or brand that Ads24 represents in order to best meet the advertiser’s objectives.

“We have various content options available to our clients that include, but are not limited to text and video, thus creating a narrative that unobtrusively introduces our readers to a client’s products and offerings. We ordinary promote all our editorial content and similarly clients will also potentially benefit from this type of self-promotion across various social media platforms, and search advertising,” says Mbele.

Content marketing objectives are a key focus for Ads24. Content marketing is another form of native advertising, placing sponsor-funded content alongside editorial content or showing ‘other content you might be interested in’ which is sponsored by a marketer alongside editorial recommendations. The Media24 publishing teams have a very good understanding of the market that they speak to and Ads24 can offer clients this expertise in communicating with the audience - their target market. Ads24 have already made great strides in this arena and look forward to extending this service even further.

“We are working at creating closed platform native advertising opportunities in our owned print and digital media. We would then also look at where we can leverage off our communities on open platforms. Open platforms are defined by promoting the same piece of branded content across multiple platforms within native ad formats, and unlike closed platforms, the branded content asset lives outside the platform. So practically speaking, the native advertising would be placed within our own assets, and we would then, as an example, promote this content to our engaged social media following or audience,” says Mbele.

For more about the Ads24 Native Advertising Campaign, phone +27 11 259-1700.

About Ads24

Ads24 is the leading seller and marketer of South African newspapers to national advertisers and media agencies. As the national sales and trade marketing division for Media24 News and their digital properties, Ads24 have direct access to the latest trends from around the world. Ads24 is the optimum choice for integrated, innovative solutions.

For more information on Ads24, visit www.ads24.co.za.