With billions of online ads served daily, how do brands ensure their message reaches the right audience at the right time? The answer lies in the strategy, platform, and type of digital advertising businesses choose. Effective online advertising isn’t a random guess—it’s a well-planned decision based on understanding which method works best for specific business goals.
Among the many options in online advertising platforms, native ads and display ads are two of the most effective digital advertising methods. The difference between native and display advertising lies in their format—display ads are easily recognizable as ads, whereas native ads match the look and feel of the surrounding content for a more organic user experience. Both help businesses reach their audience online, but they work in different ways.
Understanding these differences is important for businesses looking to get the best results from their marketing. This blog will break down these two popular digital ad strategies and help businesses decide which one suits them best.
Difference Between Native Ads and Display advertising
Here are some differences between Native Ads and Display Ads:
Display Ads:
Display ads are a common form of online advertising. A display advertising platform is a network where advertisers can run visually engaging ads, like banners or images, across a vast array of websites, apps, and other digital properties to reach a wide audience. These ads are frequently seen while browsing news sites, social media platforms, or blogs.
Key Aspects of Display Ads:
Clearly separate from content – They stand out as advertisements of any product and service.
Varied formats – Often available in diverse formats such as banner ads, sidebars, pop-ups, and video ads.
Extensive reach – Display ads are showcased across a vast range of websites through various ad networks, ensuring visibility to diverse audiences as they browse online.
Strong visual appeal – Designed to grab attention through bold graphics, CTAs, and animations.
Native Ads:
Native ads, on the other hand, are designed to blend in with the content of the native advertising platform they appear on. They don’t seem like traditional ads but instead match the tone, style, and format of organic content.
Key Aspects of Native Ads:
Smooth integration – Native ads mimic the surrounding content by matching the tone and theme of the content.
Higher engagement – Users interact with them more naturally as they don’t look like sponsored advertisements.
Found on multiple platforms – Social media feeds, news articles, and content recommendations.
Ultimately, the decision between native ads vs banner ads comes down to user experience.
Things to Consider Before Choosing an Ad Format
Now that you have understood the difference between display and native ads, here are the key points to consider before choosing an ad format:
Target Audience Behaviour and Engagement:
The success of any advertising format hinges on how the target audience interacts with it. Native ads perform well when users seek information and are open to engaging with content naturally, while display ads are effective when businesses need immediate visibility and awareness.
The Role of Ad Placement in User Experience and Interaction:
In online advertising, Ad placement directly affects how users perceive and interact with ads. Native ads blend seamlessly into the content and work well within articles, social media feeds, and recommendation widgets. In contrast, display ads occupy specific spaces on web pages—such as banners, sidebars, or interstitials—making them more noticeable but also more prone to being ignored if not placed strategically.
Budget Allocation and Cost-Effectiveness:
Both native and display ads require a well-defined budget strategy. Native advertising often demands higher initial costs due to content creation requirements but tends to deliver better engagement and lower cost per acquisition over time. Display ads, on the other hand, can be more budget-friendly with options like cost-per-click (CPC) or cost per thousand impressions (CPM) models, but may require higher spending to combat lower engagement rates.
How to Implement Native and Display ads in Your Marketing Strategy?
There are a few things a business must know about online advertising if they want to learn how to add ads on websites. Here are the takeaways to set up Native or Display ads:
Setting up Native Ads:
Choose The Right Platform: Selecting the appropriate advertising platform is crucial for campaign success. Native ads can be placed on content-heavy websites, news portals, social media feeds, and content recommendation networks.
Create Engaging, non-Disruptive Ad Content:
Since native ads are designed to blend into organic content, the messaging should focus on value-driven engagement rather than direct promotion.
Use Best Practices for Content Relevance and Audience Targeting:
Use audience segmentation to deliver personalized experiences. Match ad content with the editorial tone of the platform. Optimize for mobile-first experiences, as a large portion of native ads are consumed via mobile devices. Continuously A/B tests different variations to determine what resonates best.
Setting Up Display Ads
Pick up an Ad Network:
Businesses looking to run display ad campaigns typically choose ad networks or programmatic advertising platforms such as Droom Ads to maximize their reach and engagement.
Design Compelling Visuals with Clear CTA:
When it comes to display ads, they need to be quite attention-grabbing with a strong headline. eye-catching visuals, a concise message, and a clear call to action.
Optimize for Different Devices and Screen Sizes:
With users accessing content from desktops, tablets, and smartphones, display ads must be optimized for responsive design. Testing multiple ad variations across devices prevents distorted or poorly formatted visuals that could hinder performance.
By implementing these online advertising strategies effectively, businesses can ensure that both native and display advertising campaigns deliver maximum impact.
Conclusion
In all, the best online advertising strategy is not about choosing native ads vs display ads— it’s about using them together for a well-rounded approach. Display ads serve as a powerful tool for building brand awareness and driving immediate visibility, while native ads foster deeper audience engagement, lead nurturing, and education. The key to success lies in picking up the best platform, understanding the target audience, analyzing performance metrics, and aligning ad formats with the business model.
Choosing the right platform and ad format may seem like a small step, but it can lead to massive success in your digital marketing journey. For businesses seeking a robust and targeted advertising solution, Droom Ads serves as an excellent choice as it delivers a comprehensive advertising solution that maximizes reach, engagement, and conversions through data-driven targeting and a diverse range of ad formats.
Droom is an automobile e-commerce platform offering a 21st-century automotive buying experience online with its four value pillars including trust, selection, low price, and convenience second to none. It offers 250k+ vehicles online in 1,100 cities — both used and new. Droom deals in buying and selling cars, 2-wheelers, and other vehicles too. It is an AI and data science-driven platform designed with the best ecosystem tools. Here, we have a team of auto-experts and auto enthusiasts who are dedicated to covering every sphere of the auto industry by simplifying the procedure of buying and selling with Unified Droom Experience. To know more, click here.
