“Native” advertising can mean all things to all people. Pinning down what exactly it means in an content experience, in particular, is hard.
Digiday asked top publishers for their definition of native advertising. Most used different labels, but the agreement was that native advertising for publishers means crafting ads that fit within their experiences without feeling like intrusions. We asked publishers at the Digiday Publisher Summit to define native advertising for them.
Ryan Manion, CTO, Politico
It’s still being defined. You want to provide the advertiser with the best experience you can and also provide the best experience for the users who want to view those advertisements.
Will Pearson, president, Mental Floss
Native advertising is about taking what the advertiser is wanting to communicate and integrating it with what our users are expecting.
Matt Sanchez, CEO, Say Media
Native advertising is anything that takes on the form of the medium.
Tom Cochran, CTO, Atlantic Media
It’s similar to TV or movies. It’s a way to promote the content of our advertisers in a way that’s more ingrained way that’s built into the design of our properties.
Carolyn Bekkedahl, svp of digital media revenue, Meredith
Advertising that stems from a brand that is more than just one piece of creative. It can be video or text that robustly describes whet a product or service an advertiser has.
Mary Mucko, president of digital sales, Gannett
When we’re able to take advantage of the platform the advertiser’s on.
View the video below for their full responses.
More in Media
Le Monde blocked the bots. Now it’s working out what to do about paying readers showing up as agents
Le Monde is “figuring out” how to maintain its subscription partnership with readers who use AI agents rather than its homepage or app.
Cannes is becoming ‘a Super Bowl moment’ for creators: How they’re storming the French Riviera
Cannes Lions 2026 is gearing up to be the advertising industry event’s biggest bet on creators yet.
The Rundown: AI clones split the creator economy
Unauthorized AI voice clones and authorized digital twins are splitting the creator economy in half as brands, lawyers, and talent take stock.