You know you’re dealing with a new ad paradigm when entire industry panels are devoted to defining it. That’s clearly the case at OMMA Native, where panels are struggling to box in (and
un-box) all that is (and could potentially be) native advertising. Simply put, native is “in-stream,” “integrated,” and appears to be content, explained Serge Del Grosso, Media
Director, North America, SapientNitro. By that definition, “Google invented native years ago with paid search,” David Levy, co-founder of SocialVibe, half-joked. But, native, as
Levy’s peers see it, is so much newer and more exciting than that! It’s about rethinking “content and context,” said Rick Acampora, President of Client Services, North America,
MEC. It’s not about attaching one word to a broad spectrum of things all of which have the potential to be new media. For advertisers and publishers, it’s about “having discipline to
let consumer discover [whatever is being advertised]” -- rather than ramming it down their throats.