Google has recently announced the launch of programmatic native ads on DoubleClick Bid Manager (DBM) which let advertisers better integrate their ads into the mobile viewing experience, and help evolve ads online to a composition more accepting to the audience – thus counteracting ad blocking.
This change will help improve user experience in a number of ways. Mobile experience will be improved as well as the users’ cross-device experience. Ad sizes and formats will be more standardised across the different devices which will mean a better brand affinity. Equally, user experience will improve more generally as advertisers will need to great content-led ads outside of the arbitrary rectangle which is often run today, and these ads will have to be dynamically fitted to the form and function of the page on which they appear.
Crucially, native advertising is currently a way to thwart ad blocking. The growth of this format will hopefully be better received by consumers over the current mobile ad formats, reducing the desire for ad blockers. It is important the industry works with the consumer to evolve ad formats, as it is not in the interest of either side to start an ‘arm’s race’ with ad blocking technology.
