Native Advertising: The Good, The Bad, and the Pointless

I personally am a big fan of native advertising. When I'm bored and fooling around online, I tend to end up scrolling through Buzzfeed lists looking for a laugh. I have seen a variety of really well-executed native advertising strategies on this site, as well as some that could use some help.

The Good: 10 Cocktail and Snack Pairings You Wish You Had Thought of First by Stoli

Buzzfeed is my go-to site for a few topics: cats, puns, and ridiculously unhealthy food. It makes sense for a brand to capitalize on this because they already have a captive audience.

So imagine my excitement when the first image I saw upon opening the list was this: 

Stoli, understanding Buzzfeed's audience, created an entire article focused on pairing their cocktails with insanely indulgent foods that BF readers love. Not only did I get my daily dose of #foodporn, but I learned of the diversity in Stoli's brand line!

The Bad: Will Ferrell Will Do Anything To Get You To Vote by Obama for America

Really, Obama's marketing team? I know you're trying to reach a younger demographic, but Buzzfeed is NOT associated with journalistic integrity. You can do better than this.

The Pointless: 10 How-To's for the Perfect Pin-Up Style by Guess

I'm a total nerd for vintage style. Therefore, when I saw this article by Guess, I was super excited to see their advice to achieve the pin-up look. However, Guess completely wasted an opportunity to advertise via Buzzfeed.

Guess gives some good (well, mediocre) advice on this style, yet they completely miss the opportunity to show how Guess' clothing and accessories are on-trend. If Guess had shown some of their own clothing, I may be more inspired to go and purchase something from Guess.