• The Times of London, Tuesday, April 1, 2014 9:59 AM

The rush to native advertising is a reaction to Google being the most powerful company on earth, WPP Chief Executive Sir Martin Sorrell believes. Speaking with Robert Thomson, Chief Executive of News Corp., at AdWeek Europe in London yesterday, Sir Martin predicted Google will only become more powerful as it becomes more adept at targeting users' preferences. He believes this power is forcing brands in to native advertising, so they are less reliant on search, but warns there is a risk involved.

"Once you blur the lines between content and advertising then the integrity is gone," he said. "You can't be flexible with your principles."

The solution is to clearly define paid-for content so readers, listeners and viewers are aware it is sponsored by a brand. Only then can advertisers hope to tackle Google's dominance through populating third-party sites with their content, the WPP head concluded.

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