The future of native advertising

min: Does native advertising have the potential to revive the decline in print ad revenue?

Sarah Dale: Print is an excellent medium for branded content as it often engages an audience on a deeper level. WSJ’s audience spends over an hour a day with our print products. With that level of attention and engagement, that makes print a prime medium for long-form content. Our Custom Studios team helps clients present the right kind of content for each medium for our audience and the more that’s in the mix; the better the results. So we’re optimistic that as content budgets grow, it will have a positive impact on all platforms.

min: Define engagement and what this really means as a metric for both advertisers and consumers.

Dale: We’re seeing an increasing emphasis on time and attention in measuring engagement – a positive sign in the marketplace. True engagement with the right audience makes it possible for brands to affect the actions they’re hoping for – whether it’s in display or branded content. What that means is the focus will be on creating quality content that really engages – which will improve both the consumers’ experience and advertisers’ performance metrics. Getting the time and attention from people who can truly influence decisions – the ones who have the least of it to give – will mean brands need to work with partners who have long-term expertise in engaging those audiences.

min: How do you maintain a positive user experience with all the advertising clutter?

Dale: As a premium site with paid subscribers we’ve always paid close attention to user experience and maintained a clutter-free environment. The WSJ audience is savvy and sophisticated, so we have to be focused on smart ways to engage them with branded content and advertising that respects that.

Source: MinOnline

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