Key Difference: Native Ads are types of ads look similar to the original content on the page. Hence, they do not always stand out as advertising. Sponsored Content is a sub-category of native advertising. Sponsored content is nothing more than a native ad that has been sponsored by the brand on another platform.

Sponsored Content and Native Ads are two different types of marketing strategies that can be utilized by a company. The two are considered to be buzzwords in the industry. Both are used to promote digital content, and hence the terms are often used interchangeably. However, there is a bit of confusion as to what each one means.

Native Ads, or native advertising is as its name suggests; i.e. they are native. These types of ads look similar to the original content on the page. Hence, they do not always stand out as advertising. They look natural and hence are more likely to have more of a positive influence on the audience, rather than something that blatantly looks like an ad, and is more in their face with its selling tactics.

Technically speaking, native advertising looks and read more like a news story, it does not promote a product, nor does it include a call to action. The native ad can be either an article or video. It is primarily produced by an advertiser to promote a product.

However, it does not look like an advertisement, as in today’s day and age people are vary of traditional advertisements. People will look away or go away even before the ad has gotten to the product. Hence, native advertising has gained popularity. It promotes the product subtly while also giving the audience some quality content to digest. Think, a spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down. Native advertising has also proven to be more popular and effective than traditional advertising particularly for this reason.