Editorial and advertising get closer as search and display go native

The lines between search and display marketing are becoming increasingly blurred heralding a new era of native advertising, according to search engine Yahoo!.

The lines between search and display marketing are becoming increasingly blurred, heralding a new era of native advertising, according to search engine Yahoo.

Andrew Jones (pictured), head of search account management at Yahoo, told a WTM search engine update session organised by consultancy Genesys that sites such as Facebook and Tumblr have pioneered this form of advertising, pushing the once separate disciplines of search and display together like never before.

He said the two forms of advertising are collaborative and have a symbiotic relationship.

“The ability of display to drive search is clear,” he said. “We are now starting to explore this new world of advertising and find our search partners are at the forefront of this new frontier.”

Wikipedia describes native advertising as a method in which an advertiser attempts to gain attention by providing valuable content in the context of the customers’ experience. Jones said this approach is breaking down the traditional division between editorial and advertising.

Yahoo is bringing in new forms of advertising on its results pages to react to this trend and a new homepage is about to be launched in the UK which is personalised to the individual user.

“The next generation of native ads will give advertisers more organic users. They will allow brands to educate, entertain and spark a conversation. The new Yahoo homepage is personalised to each user so they spend less time clicking around and more time consuming. No two pages will be alike.”

Yahoo has launched stream ads in the US which are biddable and “deliver the important scale to go along with personalisation”. Jones said they are “highly targeted and can reach the right user at the right time, delivering click through rates seven times greater than standard display advertising”.

In addition native ads are portable across devices, simple, and easy to execute, helping firms move into mobile, Jones added.

Yahoo’s recent acquisition of image sharing site Tumblr provides travel firms with another way to engage with customers, and Jones urged delegates to think like editors rather than search marketers, avoid slogans and logos, and use imagery to drive clicks.

“Native may just bring search advertisers in the travel industry a wider canvas and larger audience to play with,” he said.