Earlier this year, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) issued new guidelines to the online marketing industry on native or content based advertising. One of the key recommendations was that online marketers and website owners need to provide a way for online users to distinguish between paid for native ads and general website content.

Website owners produce a wide variety of online content that is not only aimed at engaging or informing their users, but also generates consumer interest for advertisers. Content that is based on a commercial relationship existing between a website owner and an e-commerce advertiser is not always obvious.

Native or paid for content on websites is often monetised by affiliate marketing which offers website owners a way to build a commercial relationship with a number of advertisers at once, as well as a sustainable way of maintaining their website.

We recommend that some form of disclosure is made on websites which include affiliate or any type of advertising, even if the content blends into the website and isn’t necessarily recognisable as paid for advertising.

The use of paid for content should be clear to online users in order to gain or retain audience trust.  All of our client’s websites include this clear to see advice to their users. To find out more on how we can help you in delivering a clear and transparent website contact us.

We want to ensure that small bussinses website owners are clearly indicating that users may be reading or engaging with content that could exist because of a commercial relationship.  We recommend that a publisher who carries content on their site that is monetised by affiliate marketing provide relevant information in their website T & C’s to ensure they are making a proper disclosure to their users.

We want to support website owners and publishers to ensure they are providing transparency to online users who engage with native advertising or content that may be sponsored or paid for.  To take some of this burden away from you as a website owner we are happy to manage your affiliate marketing and relationship with a very low percentage fee contact us for more information

For further reading on the IAB recomendations see their website below:
http://www.iabuk.net/resources/standards-and-guidelines/content-and-native-disclosure-guidelines