Specifics of creation of native advertising in foreign online publications (based on publications of online-edition Popsugar Family)

Prokhorova Elena Nikolaevna Lecturer; Department of Television, Radio and Internet Technologies; Russian State University for the Humanities Senior Editor of the Commercial department; LLC 'No, this is normal' 6 Miusskaya Ploshchad str., Moscow, 125047, Russia elena0913@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction

For the first time native advertising appeared in foreign media – it is believed that the first classic native advertising was the magazine about agriculture "The Furrow", which John Deere released in 1985. He wrote texts about the specifics of the industry for 17 regions, and also talked about his products for agriculture. That is, the main part of the magazine consisted of a content part that benefits the target audience (farmers), and tools that can help solve problems that arise during work – its products ^[28]. The content of native advertising and its implementation in the content of modern online publications is different now, but the meaning remains the same: it is beneficial to the media themselves, advertisers and the audience ^[6]. And for almost 40 years now, media has been working with native advertising in various forms.

The purpose of this study is to identify the features of working on the text of native advertising based on the publications of the online publication POPSUGAR.Family (USA). To achieve it, the following tasks were solved:

• ¾ identify the place of native advertising in the segment of modern media space;
• ¾ identify criteria for creating high-quality text for native advertising;
• ¾ consider the process of working on native advertising texts using the example of publications of the online publication POPSUGAR.Family.

The object of research in this paper is the texts of native advertising in POPSUGAR.Family. The subject is approaches to the creation of these texts published in the source selected for analysis.

The relevance of this study lies in the need for a more in-depth analysis of the texts of native advertising from the side of a journalistic work, since scientific research on this topic is clearly insufficient to form a clear idea of working with these areas. Meanwhile, such content allows modern media to create really interesting, meaningful and exclusive materials, generating income and without giving up their true purpose, as well as without losing the loyalty of their audience.

The main part

The term native advertising was first defined by Fred Wilson in 2011 at the Online Media, Marketing, and Advertising Conference ^[17]. At that moment, he meant by this definition advertising that was unique to the user and relevant to his experience on the website. Since then, many researchers have put different meanings into the definition: M. Akulich writes that "this is advertising, naturally perceived by users when it is located next to non-advertising content. It is characterized by its organic fit into the design context of the page and compliance with the entire content of this page" ^[1], that is, it seems to readers very similar to editorial content. Media researcher I. Krasilshchik says that this is "the use of editorial formats for advertising purposes" ^[10]. E. V. Lyakhov in the article "Native advertising in online media (using the example of promoting goods and services of the beauty industry") writes that this type of advertising "is a journalistic text, typical in form for one or another media platforms", its main task is to provide useful information to the audience, and not just product advertising ^[11]. But M. Einstein puts a negative connotation into the term: "content disguised as content of another kind in the hope that we will read it and share it" ^[14]. Nevertheless, high-quality native advertising really benefits not only businesses, but also online publications, as it is a piece of content and a way to finance media; and users themselves, as it is prepared by employees of the media itself, who know what issues and problems their audience is concerned about. In addition, it helps to avoid negative attitudes from readers and avoid the effect of "banner blindness" ^[5].

To prove the involvement of native advertising in journalistic materials, it is necessary to identify criteria that characterize a high-quality journalistic work ^[11]. Firstly, it is a relevant topic in accordance with the interests of the audience: it should be important, curious and unexpected ^[9]. Secondly, the information must be exclusive so as not to duplicate texts already published on a similar topic. This can be achieved by appealing to research, expert comments, or the author's view ^[8]. Thirdly, it is the correspondence of the text to the editorial policy of the media. As a rule, all journalism texts relate to the journalistic style of speech, although some genres, of course, may have elements of a literary text, and sometimes even scientific ^[7]. But now it is important to monitor not only the observance of grammatical rules, but also the use of a single stylistic standard, narrative tone and characteristic expressions – those categories that cannot be identified by automatic editors. Most often, media use words and expressions that are understandable to the target audience, since the task of a journalist is to encode an idea so that the reader can decode it ^{[4, 23]}. To do this, it is important for editors to present a portrait of the reader in order to get as accurately as possible into his needs and requests ^{[3, 13, 23]}.

The media are now fighting for the attention and time of the audience ^[2], and the fundamental factor in this struggle is an attractive visual design that helps the audience recognize the material of a certain media in special aggregators, as well as attracts the attention of the audience and contributes to the convenience of information consumption ^[31].

Since the experience of working with native advertising in the foreign segment is much greater than in the Russian-speaking segment, it is important to consider the features of its creation, which will help improve the quality of native advertising as a journalistic work in domestic online publications.

PopSugar Inc. is an American media and technology company, one of the areas of work of which is the media business, which includes the online publication PopSugar (POPSUGAR). According to the media kit, 4,415,476 unique users visit the site every month, and the share of native advertising is 51.56% ^[25]. This online publication was chosen for analysis because it is part of a large media holding with a large attendance and regular work with the native advertising format. In addition, the author of this work focuses on the POPSUGAR.Family section, as it more clearly shows the integration of advertisers into narrow topics that are not always suitable for the brand, but, nevertheless, are a strategically important marketing area and can fully reflect the variability of commercial integrations in texts.

Native ads are marked with a small text label after specifying the authorship: advertising content or paid content. Both options are native advertising, as they often contain materials that solve various audience problems and contain useful content. But the latter can sometimes be commercial collections or news reporting on various events of the advertised company – in this case, they cannot be considered as native advertising due to the short format and lack of specific benefits without mentioning the product or service. Classic native advertising does not appear on a regular basis, but it is immediately worth noting that it is difficult to identify it among other materials, since the inscription after authorship is written in pale gray font and is not conspicuous ^[24]. In order to identify the specific features of such materials, it is necessary to analyze the diverse texts that are in the public domain.

The first commercial material is "Tantrums 101: These Doctor –Approved Tips will help you through the terrible twos" ^[19] (101 tantrums: doctor-approved tips that will help you survive terrible troubles). The sponsor of this material is Stanford Medicine Children's Health Children's Hospital, the category under which it was published is "little kids" (children). In the general feed of materials, it is difficult for readers to identify its commercial basis: the image fits into the visual style of editorial materials, and there is no mention of the brand in the title. When opening this native advertisement, the situation changes – the name of the material is immediately presented on the first screen in the form of a banner decorated in the colors of the brand. The client's logo is present before the beginning of the text, which allows you to immediately identify the commercial basis of the article.

The material is devoted to tantrums and scandals, which most often occur in a child during a crisis of three years ("terrible twos"). There was no specific information guide for creating such a text, but its relevance is confirmed by the fact that parents of toddlers face this problem all the time – that is, it is "evergreen" content. The ubiquity of the problem is also confirmed by the first paragraph: "Angry shrieks, heaving sobs, flailing limbs: any parent who has been through the terrible twos knows just how disruptive temper tantrums can be" (Angry screams, heavy sobs, shaking limbs: any parent who has been through a three-year crisis knows how devastating they can be there may be fits of anger). In the same sentence, the tonality that the media observes when communicating with its readers is immediately read. This is a description of typical situations that parents often face, journalistic style, emotional expressions, colloquialisms – there is a democratization of language, which is relevant for modern multimedia texts ^[15]. This trend is also observed in the main content: "Instead of simply telling you they're upset because they can't eat a candy bar for lunch, they might react by throwing themselves on the floor of the kitchen or screaming at the top of their lungs" (Instead of just telling you that they are upset because they cannot eat a chocolate bar for lunch, they may throw themselves on the kitchen floor or scream at the top of their lungs) or "There is a light at the end of the tunnel" (There is still a light at the end of the tunnel).

The uniqueness of the information is confirmed by the presence of an expert comment by a pediatrician and a mother ("As both a mom of a toddler and a pediatrician, Dr. Julia Pederson"). Important phrases that the author emphasizes in the text are designed in the form of cards – this does not correspond to the usual visual design of materials, but at the same time contributes to the convenience of content consumption. In this online publication, the design of editorial materials includes links placed throughout the text to other relevant materials that could potentially be of interest to readers. There are no such blocks in the analyzed material, which indicates a deviation from the editorial canons.

It is interesting to note that the article does not have a visually highlighted block with integration – there is one phrase at the end of the material that additional tips on raising happy and healthy children can be found on the website stanfordchildrens.org . («For more tips on raising happy and healthy children, visit stanfordchildrens.org»). That is, there are no enumerations of the direct advantages of the brand and its differences from competitors. The emphasis is on the visual component, and not on the textual description, which contributes to the formation of loyalty and trust on the part of the audience.

The next commercial material appears in the feed immediately after the previously analyzed article – that is, two native texts stand side by side and are released literally a few hours apart. The article is called "Easy Kid-Friendly Activities For a Last-Minute Day at Home With Your Children" ^[21] (Simple activities with children that you can spend at home on the last day of the holidays). Immediately, the title indicates the relevance and relevance of the text – on the last day of the holidays, parents usually get tired of children, and simple activities can help them spend time usefully and not spend much effort. The material was published in the same category as the previous one – "little kids" (children), and it was sponsored by the manufacturer of household chemicals Clorox. It is interesting to note that the focus of this company is not directly related to games – nevertheless, the brand understands the value of native advertising and the prospect of reaching a new audience for it through direct contact with it, emotions and trust. The illustration corresponds to the visual style of the online publication, it does not use any colors, logo, or brand product. The design of this material, unlike the previously analyzed example, corresponds to the editorial style, since on the first screen the name is written in the usual font, and not decorated in the form of a banner, and inside there are photos of children that visually complement the main content of the material. The text is written in the format of an author's column, because the presentation is in the first person: "Any other parents out there hanging on by a thread? I don't even know why I ask – I know we're all in the same boat together" (Are there any other parents who don't take out either? I don't even know why I'm asking – I'm sure we're all in the same boat). From this it can be seen that the text is written in the tone of the media, because many editorial materials are also written by the authors in the first person. It also has a uniqueness, because the author appeals to his own practical experience. Commercial integration, as in the previous material, does not stand out visually, but is present in two places: at the beginning (the author writes that he uses Clorox® disinfectant wipes, which kill 99.9% of viruses and bacteria (including the virus that causes COVID-19) on hard non-porous surfaces when used for its intended purpose) and in the middle when describing a game with decorating boxes from stores that need to be disinfected before use. These small integrations look very organic and do not interfere with reading the main content part.

The following native material is called "What parents need to know about caring for kids' Skin – and 3 of the most common Issues" ^[20] (What parents should know about caring for children's skin – and the 3 most common problems). It was published under the heading "parenting" (parenting), the illustration shows a stock image that fits into the concept of the main tape with materials. In it, as in the first example, a large banner with a header in the colors of the client is visible on the main screen – namely, the same Stanford Medicine Children's Health children's hospital. The relevance of the chosen topic is explained by the fact that in winter, children's skin often becomes dry and problematic, which means that the text about caring for it is very relevant at this time.

In general, the design of this article does not differ much from the first analyzed material: it also has highlighted important phrases in the form of cards; there are no links to relevant materials inside the text (but they are present at the end). The uniqueness of the information presented is expressed in the use of expert comments by Nora Fahden, MD, of Bayside Medical Group in San Ramon, CA, with Stanford Children's Health. For writing, a journalistic style of presentation was used, based on documentality – building on facts and not containing an emotionally expressive coloring. However, in some places there is an excessive imperative: "First and foremost, make sure your kids use sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher every single day – rain or shine. No matter the weather, kids' skin should be protected from UV radiation" (that is, the doctor encourages the use of sunscreen in any weather) and "Dr. Fahden also encourages every family to get in the habit of bath time every night" (taking a bath every evening). This is slightly at odds with the more courteous communication with the audience in other editorial materials. Despite this, the text does give useful advice to parents about common childhood problems: eczema, urticaria and warts.

The text uses hyperlinks to scientific research confirming the authenticity of certain statements. As for the integration of the client, there is only a visual part in the form of a logo at the beginning of the material. There are no textual mentions of the brand sponsoring the material in this native advertisement. This approach on the part of the advertiser contributes to the formation of loyalty among readers, since it does not impose a product or service on them as the only solution, and at the same time helps to solve problems in other ways. In this case, the audience forms a positive associative relationship, which contributes to a potential increase in confidence in the advertiser and the media itself.

Another native advertisement is "For These Parents, Advocacy Became Everything After Their Son Was Diagnosed With a Rare Condition" ^[26] (Parents for whom protection of interests became paramount after a child was diagnosed with a rare disease). This is the personal story of Nate, whose son was diagnosed with Kawasaki Disease. It describes the story of Oliver and his family, the problems they faced and attempts to find plasma donors. The advertiser of this text was Abbott, a healthcare company. Her logo is present at the beginning of the text, and at the end there is a mention that you can donate plasma at the donation center and help people like Oliver.

The format of a personal story is common in this online publication and advertising told in this way is perceived as editorial content. It turns out that the topic is revealed through a unique prism, and the first-person narrative has an impact on readers. However, some phrases contain excessive imperativeness, encouraging users to become donors: "That donor that gave Oliver that one extra dose of antibody treatment, that person saved Oliver's life,'we wouldn't be here had that person not just taken two hours out of their day" (The donor who gave Oliver an additional dose of treatment with antibodies, literally saved his life. We wouldn't be here right now if he hadn't spent just two hours a day). In a sense, this can be regarded as one of the ways of manipulation, implemented through overly emotional presentation ^[12].

The heading of this article is "Popsugar", that is, some original content of an online publication. There are many photos of Oliver and his family inside the material, there are links to sources confirming the mentioned facts, and at the bottom there is a block with interesting materials on the topic. It is important to note that third-party advertising is not hidden in the text, which brings it even closer to editorial content.

The next example of native advertising is "Children Internalize Beauty Standards at an Early Age – Here's How to Break That Cycle" ^[18] (Children learn beauty standards at an early age – that's how to break this vicious circle). The photo is a standard stock photo, the heading is "parenting". The topic was chosen without reference to any specific information occasion, but the title makes a look at a common problem unusual and even intriguing: the representation of beauty standards for children. The sponsor of the material is Revlon, a cosmetics manufacturer. The topic itself can be controversial for such a brand, since the text talks about the need to rid children of stereotypes in appearance: "See how you can incorporate a practice of loving yourself and appreciating your looks just as they are" (See how you can learn to love yourself and appreciate your appearance is what it is). This makes the text polemical, which is important for high-quality journalistic material, and integration into such a topic helps to establish an emotional connection with the audience and build loyalty, as readers see the brand's position and begin to trust it ^[22]. The uniqueness of the presented material is confirmed by the fact that the text is based on an interview with a therapist from the brand itself ("Madeline Lucas, LCSW, a therapist at Real").

Stylistically, the text is close to the editorial canons. The author appeals to readers, which allows you to form an emotional connection with him: "Perhaps growing up you were told to never leave the house with your hair wet, your mom prioritizing her weekly blowout" (Perhaps when you were growing up, you were told never to leave the house with wet hair, and your mom gave priority weekly hair styling). The material is structured using subheadings, visually complemented by photographs that are not related to the brand. The text is of practical value to the audience, as it actualizes an important topic and contains unusual recommendations for communicating with children on the topic of stigmatized standards. Brand integration is present at the end of the material in the form of a call to subscribe to Revlon brand media with a description of the terms of this subscription, but motivation for action is not enough. It is important to note that in the final part of the text there are tags that help to increase the depth of the reader's interaction with the material and improve his experience of consuming the information provided. The following tags are used: "parenting" (parenthood), "Revlon" (brand name), "parenting tips" (parental advice), "confidence" (confidence), "self-esteem" (self-esteem). Up to this point, they were absent from editorial materials, and as soon as they appeared on the site, they began to integrate into both editorial content and native advertising.

All previously analyzed materials were marked as "advertising content", the next material is "paid content", which can just be considered as a kind of native advertising. It is called "Why It's So Important That Kids Have Access to Inclusive Dolls"^[16] (Why it is important for children to have inclusive dolls). The first visual difference is the alignment of the text on the page. In advertising content, all materials are located in the middle of the screen, and there is no block on the left offering the reader to subscribe to updates of the online publication. In the text under consideration, as in all editorial materials, this tool is present, which makes the visual design more close to the editorial canons. Advertiser – Tagret is a company specializing in the sale of interior items, jewelry, media carriers, children's goods and other manufactured goods. But the name is visible to advertisers only at the beginning of the text. In one of the blocks there are links to three products (dolls) that lead to the advertised store, forming demand for goods, but there is no description of the brand. It turns out that the company is integrated into the text as organically as possible, but at the same time the commercial nature of the text cannot always be identified.

The illustration accompanying the text visually correlates with the main feed of materials, tags are used to classify the text ("little kids" (little children), "identity" (identity / personality), "toys" (toys), "kids shopping" (children's shopping), "parenting tips" (parenting tips), "antiracism" (anti-racism)). The text is written in a journalistic style and is as close as possible to editorial canons, which is characterized by the use of reduced vocabulary ("which helps them understand that there are people who look different outside their small school and neighborhood bubbles"). But at the same time, it does not contain unique information and additional value in the form of an expert comment, and the listed tips seem banal, which reduces the informational value of the text in the eyes of the audience.

The following native ads were prepared together with the Eggland's Best egg production company. The material is called "Take Mealtime to the Next Level With These 4 Kid-Friendly Recipes" ^[29] (Taking meal times to a new level with these 4 recipes suitable for children), published in the section "kid-friendly recipes" (recipes suitable for children). It is immediately important to note that the author is not a specific editor, but Vox Creative – that is, the company sponsoring the text. Product integration is more extensive here than in the previously analyzed examples – it takes up the first two paragraphs. There is a mention that Eggland's Best company took part in the creation of a Disney movie, which can be combined with family breakfast cooking. A few lines are devoted to the description of the product itself (i.e. eggs) and the conditions of the draw in which readers can participate.

The text is not of practical use to the audience, as it does not contain a description of the recipes themselves, which are mentioned in the title. They are integrated only in the form of photos, listed ingredients needed to prepare a particular dish and short descriptions ("All you need are some fresh eggs, veggies, 'taters, and mozzarella cheese and you're ready for blast off" (All you need is fresh eggs, vegetables, potatoes and mozzarella cheese, and you're ready to take off)). The user can get acquainted with the proposed breakfast options in more detail only by clicking on the links leading to the brand's website. It is important to note that the text does not specify where exactly you can get more detailed information. Also at the end there is another commercial integration and tags ("kid-friendly recipes" (recipes suitable for children), "little kids" (children), "Disney" (Disney), "recipes" (recipes), "easy recipes" (simple recipes). Despite the fact that this native advertisement is published as "advertising content", it respects only the relevance of the topic (since cooking together with children is an "evergreen" content among the parent audience) and stylistic compliance of the presentation style with editorial standards. The title in this article attracts attention, but the content does not meet expectations. The information provided is not unique, as the user can familiarize himself with the recipes on the advertiser's website and find options for dishes without contacting POPSUGAR.Family. The visual design is also different from the editorial content. Of course, this native advertising benefits the reader, because it is not necessary to use a certain type of eggs to prepare such breakfasts, but according to the content, this material cannot be classified as professional journalistic work, which reduces readers' trust in both advertising and the online publication itself ^[15].

The latest material is "This Brand Will Cover the Cost of Your Holiday Dinner (Up to $30) If Clean–Up Is a Pain" ^[30] (This brand will cover the cost of your holiday dinner (up to $30) if cleaning becomes unbearable). It should be noted right away that the advertising nature of this material is reflected in the title – it contains a mention of the brand, creating some intrigue for readers. Also, using the photo, it is clear that we are talking about a brand of household chemicals, since it shows a woman loading a dishwasher. This example is "advertising content", in which the reader expects to see a useful native article, but receives a small advertising note completely dedicated to the advertiser with a description of the campaign that the brand launched on the eve of the holidays. Of course, the information itself may be useful to the audience, as the text describes the advice on using a dishwasher and the conditions of the competition, which will help compensate for the cost of food. But to find out how to participate in it, you need to go to the website of the Finish brand that sponsors the material. Also, there are no tags or links to articles interesting on the topic at the end. The material cannot be considered unique, and the style of presentation differs from editorial texts – it is rather informational and influencing, which is typical for direct advertising ("The clean you'll get with Finish Quantum is only one perk of this challenge" or "If your dishes don't come out sparkling clean, Finish will give you money back for your meal"). Of course, the relevance of the topic is explained by the period of the New Year holidays, the need to prepare the table and after and wash a huge amount of dishes, but the content of the material does not have practical benefits for readers separately from the brand, therefore it is impossible to call the material native advertising – and it is such materials that mislead the audience, undermining its trust in the media ^[27]. There are 11 links in the note in total, and all of them lead to the advertiser's page. Most likely, after opening such a text, the reader will be disappointed, because he is used to seeing useful content marked as "advertising content".

Conclusion

In the course of the conducted research, several conclusions can be drawn about text native advertising in English-language media. It is important to note that this type of content at this stage of the development of the digital space is one of the most effective models for communication with the audience, since it does not spoil the image of online publications, and 70% of users prefer to learn about products through content rather than through traditional advertising, which interrupts the process of perception of information and interferes completely immerse yourself in the materials ^[32].

The advertiser's presence is most often limited to a visual element (logo) and a short text description that fits seamlessly into the content of the text and complements it with content, without interfering with the consumption of basic information. Advertisers do not seek to integrate at the very beginning of the text, because they realize the value of such contact with the audience and are ready to work through trust and loyalty. They use native advertising to build trust on the part of the audience and establish emotional contact with it. The content is divided into "paid content" and "advertising content", but, as the analysis shows, far from all materials, the first is an advertising note, and the second is a full–fledged journalistic work with commercial integration.

There are examples of visual integration without accompanying text. But there are materials that deceive readers' expectations, as they attract attention with the help of the title, but do not disclose it in the content part. At the same time, the design itself (both the main image and internal visual elements) corresponds to the style of the site and does not contain references to the commercial basis of the texts.

Themes for native advertising are selected based on the requests of the target audience. They are often related to the information agenda or "seasonal" issues. They can also refer to "evergreen" content that is popular among a certain segment of readers. It is important to note that in English-language media, the topic of a native article may not coincide at all with the specifics of the advertiser: for example, manufacturing companies are ready to integrate into the text about children's games. It also shows an understanding of the value of native advertising and a willingness to talk to a new audience on topics that are close and important to them. But at the same time, texts can be published one after another with an interval of literally several hours.

The unique information for the materials is created with the help of expert comments, personal opinions of the authors and work with the scientific base. In foreign media, all texts are signed by certain authors with an individual narrative style, which enhances the value of the material for readers and its visibility in the information space.

Complex topics (for example, medical ones) are most often devoid of functional-stylistic and emotional-expressive coloring – the author appeals to professional experience and various studies, and not to emotions. Other materials often use reduced vocabulary, jargon and colloquialisms, which indicate the process of democratization of the language, the approximation of journalistic style to colloquial speech, contributing to the formation of trust among readers in the modern media space. This is especially important for the target audience of the analyzed online publication. Almost all texts of native advertising are written in accordance with the rules of editorial policy.

Native advertising is developing and becoming an important part of the modern media space – media editors are trying to create texts in accordance with the editorial policy of storytelling and communication with the target audience, the selection of relevant topics and design close to editorial canons. But despite the fact that the experience of working with native advertising in foreign online publications is greater than in domestic ones, editors can still use it for other purposes: sometimes mislead readers or manipulate them. It is difficult to create really high-quality commercial content, but it is working with such text at different levels that will help to add the necessary results for everyone: media, brand and audience ^[10].