Native advertising is a type of paid advertising that appears in the style and format of the content near the advertisements placement. It is a form of paid advertising in which the ads match the look, feel, and function of the media format where they appear. Native ads help brands and businesses engage their audiences with relevant, compelling content via high-quality websites, targeted to users who are most likely to be interested. Native advertising can take many forms, including promoted videos, images, articles, commentary, music, and other various forms of media.

The key features of native advertising include:

• Seamless Integration: Native ads fit "natively" and seamlessly on the web page, matching the look and feel of the non-paid content where they are placed.

• Contextual Relevance: Native advertising is designed specifically not to look like an ad, making it harder to ignore. Instead, it is designed to look like the rest of the content on the page.

• High Engagement: Native advertising has the potential to increase conversions and engagement. Studies have shown that consumers trust content and recommendations seen in the editorial environment (native ads) more than user-generated content and recommendations.

Native advertising is most commonly employed as publisher-produced brand content, a similar concept to the traditional advertorial. It is used to expose users to unique content that is particularly engaging to the target audience. Native advertising can be found everywhere, from favorite publisher sites to favorite social channels. Native advertising runs across search engines, social networks, and open web content.