Native advertising : from a consumer perspective

Abstract: Research questions:How do consumers perceive native advertising compared to other online advertising? How does the media channel affect native advertisements?How do consumers receive native advertising? Purpose:The purpose of this study is to examine native advertising from a consumer perspective. A research will be done about how consumers perceive native advertising compared to other online advertising, how the media channel affects native advertisements and how consumers receive native advertising. Four different hypotheses are used to examine the research questions, which will entail new insights within the subject native advertising. Theoretical framework:The theoretical framework of this thesis consists of theories which are related to the research area native advertising. The main theories are about online advertising, native advertising, consumer perception, credibility and media source impact. Method:This study has a quantitative and deductive approach. An experiment was performed with a between-subject design where two surveys were used. The surveys were distributed by email and the primary data collection included responses from 106 respondents. The data analysis was performed through various diagrams, t-tests and Pearson's correlation test. Empirical findings:The empirical findings present the data from the experimental surveys through tables, diagrams and text. The results are based on 16 items with answer options which represented a Likert scale, one item with a two option answer and two open questions. Conclusion:In the conclusion, the research questions are responded. The results from the empirical findings show a more positive perception of native advertisements compared to banners from a consumer perspective. The media channel did not have any impact on the perceived credibility of a native advertisement. The results show that the respondents received native advertising as obvious advertising and therefore they did not feel persuaded by this kind of advertising.