4 Examples of Native Advertising Gone Bad

Native advertising is a hot topic that, when done properly, can be highly profitable for both publishers and advertisers alike.

Thanks to major algorithmic advancements over the years, you can generally rest easy knowing that your ads will appear in the right place, at the right time, and to the right audience. But this isn’t a perfect science, and there are still situations where native ads can be disruptive and harmful for the advertiser and publisher.

Here are five common examples of native advertising gone bad, which should be avoided at all costs.

Example #1 – Misleading Website Visitors

I was recently for the weather forecast because I was curious if a storm was on the way, and I went to the website Weather Underground. I’m not sure if the PPC advertisers had done this by design or unknowingly, but it provided a great example of native advertising gone wrong.

It’s obvious now because I’ve highlighted it in the screenshot. But at first, I tried to use that search bar to enter my city.

I did this not once, but twice, before I realized I was using the wrong search bar. And, at that point in time, not only did I waste a PPC click on the advertiser, but I got a bit angry at being fooled by them. Mind you, I’m using search all day long so I’ve seen all types of behavior out there.

Example #2 – Bait and Switch

The bait and switch technique is deceptive, and super frustrating for users who are interested enough to click the ad.

I’m not going to share the example here that I recently found because I don’t want to throw that company under the bus. But here’s what happened.

I saw an ad for a software I’ve been interested in testing out, and the ad said “Sign up free for 30 days, no credit card required.”

Well, upon clicking the ad, it turns out the only option was a 7-day free trial that required my credit card. Needless to say I was frustrated and didn’t move forward.

Example #3 – Outdated Ads

Let’s say you’re promoting a specific event or sensitive deal in an advertisement. Maybe it’s a conference, webinar, flash sale, or anything with a specific start date and end date.

Here’s a banner ad I saw on Forbes, promoting a digital Salesforce that’s streaming live from September 17-19.

While there’s nothing wrong with this ad right now, it’s a big problem if it’s still being displayed on September 20th or later, which is something that happens all the time with these types of ads.

The publisher still gets paid, but it ends up being a huge waste of money for the advertiser.

Example #4 – Conflict of Interest

Ad networks today tend to do a really good job of making sure the ads displayed on a website align with both the advertiser’s guidelines as well as the publisher. But again, this isn’t always perfect.

Let’s look at this native ad displayed on Men’s Health so you can see what I mean:

In general, these guys do a pretty good job with their content ensuring that advice comes from health experts, nutritionists, and physicians.

But this “workout challenge for beginners” on the right side of the screen is actually an ad. It’s hard to tell at first glance, and could easily be confused as content from Men’s Health.

So from the publisher’s standpoint, it’s hard to protect their brand if this challenge ends up being something that’s garbage and doesn’t deliver results.