Native in focus with Anton Assarsson
Native advertising is labeled articles published in the editorial flow. On May 30th, the Native Advertising Awards 2024 will take place. The Native Advertising Institute describes it as the largest and most important award in the category.
Our very own Anton Assarsson, Head of Editorial at Schibsted Brand Studio, is part of the jury and will help secure the winners in the 34 categories available for competition. We caught up with Anton and asked him a few questions!
What, according to you, constitutes a successful native ad?
In all simplicity, I would say a campaign that over-delivers on the customer’s KPIs while fitting in and being appreciated by users on the platform.
It’s essentially the core of what Brand Studio does every day, using editorial expertise to find the intersection between the client’s communication and the recipient’s expectations, whether it’s video, podcasts, long-form reading, or visual storytelling.
What does it mean for an agency/department to compete and win in the NAA?
At the campaign level, it’s a great validation that we, together with our clients, have successfully delivered a cutting-edge concept. It builds internal pride and leads to stronger and more creatively innovative collaborations with our clients.
Studio of the Year is the category that awards the best content studio of the year, where Schibsted Brand Studio has won the award twice, in 2018 and 2021 – and came in second place behind the BBC last year. That category is always extra fun because it includes everyone in Brand Studio, from editors and strategists to business development and data analysis.
With a total of 34 nomination categories in the Native Advertising Awards, which ones are you most looking forward to diving into?
There’s something exciting about the narrower categories, such as B2B focus or conversion, where the campaign’s KPIs are really put to the test.
But personally, I’m looking forward to the categories where the competition is fiercest – and that usually falls within Most Creative Native Advertising Campaign, Best Design, Best use of Text, Best use of Video, and Best use of Podcast. Especially the latter had very strong submissions last year.
What does the future hold for native advertising? What will we see more of? What will we see less of?
I’m convinced that there’s still much to explore on the path already laid out. Schibsted Brand Studio has a clear focus on customer experience, service, content quality, data, and follow-up. And I believe that will continue to define the market going forward. Segments that will grow faster than others are undoubtedly podcasts and video.
And, just like in many other industries, AI will open up entirely new types of value propositions.
What’s the most enjoyable aspect of working at Schibsted Brand Studio and with all the experts we have in native?
There’s a lot that’s very enjoyable about working at Schibsted Brand Studio. Fantastic colleagues, who are smart, driven, and enjoy working together, are definitely high on the list. But if I have to choose something else, it’s that Brand Studio is a workplace where only the quality of the idea really limits what we can do and not. It’s both inspiring and challenging, but above all, a lot of fun.
Do you have any questions or concerns about native advertising? Don’t hesitate to contact your sales representative or anton.assarsson@schibsted.com for more information. You can also read more about our various native formats via the link below.
