We’ve all seen them… maybe even been taken in by them… those chameleon-like ads disguised as our favorite digital media. AKA native advertising, or “sponsored content.”

 

It’s sneaky. But does it work?

 

Well, yeah – kind of. Though we’ve trained ourselves to ignore 46% of online ads, we do tend to notice the ones camouflaged as actual content. But that doesn’t mean we’re happy about it.

 

After all, no one enjoys being fooled. So no one should be surprised that native advertising can have a negative impact on brand perception.

 

In fact, two-thirds of people responding to a recent Contently survey indicated they felt deceived when they realized they’d been duped by a native ad. And 59% said they’d lose trust for sites running sponsored content.

 

So, native advertising “works” because consumers technically take notice. But if they hate what they see, what’s the point?