The Role of Native Advertising in Building A Sustainable Business

When it comes to sustainability, the eternal burning questions companies ask about consumers are “how passionate are they?” and “how much are they willing to pay?” But for me, there’s another question whose answers offer valuable insights about how to market  a sustainable solution.

That question is “how do they get their information?”

The research behind The Demand Revolution showed that consumers are habitually looking beyond traditional media and often rely much more heavily on newer media such as video and social platforms. To provide a perspective on how to appeal to consumers in today’s fragmented media world, I have invited Adam Abelin, the founder and managing director of Native Ads Denmark, to contribute a guest column to this edition of the newsletter.

When consumers seek out a sustainable solution, their search lasts up to four times longer than a search for a conventional solution. Consumers are much more open to trust alternative information sources, such as friends, influencers, and third-party research. Finally, they are significantly more prepared to switch brands if they find what they want. Those are some of the key findings and insights in The Demand Revolution.

One reason for this more intensive engagement is the fact that consumers perceive sustainability as a nuanced and complex issue. For the consumer archetypes at the forefront of this revolution, environmentally sound practices matter as much as price, quality, and brand in their purchase decisions. This creates a challenge for advertisers. To effectively explain how a supply chain reduces carbon emissions, for example, a company needs more than a banner ad or a 30-second TV spot. When traditional forms of advertising are much less effective, companies may lack both the knowledge and the experience to tell their sustainability stories in a persuasive way.

Native advertising is the ideal tool for storytelling

To catch up with consumers and overcome this challenge, companies need to improve their storytelling. They need to share the "why" behind a brand’s actions, explain their commitment to reducing environmental impact, and showcase the results they have achieved.

Native advertising is the ideal means to provide consumers the information they need. Its strength lies in its ability to integrate seamlessly into editorial content and tell stories in ways that resonate with consumers. Unlike traditional advertising – which often interrupts the user experience with aggressive or irrelevant ads – a native ad might feature a long-form article in an online magazine. Instead of a proclamation that “our brand is sustainable,” a native ad can describe in detail the company’s efforts to use recycled material in its production processes, for example.

Trust and transparency build a shared foundation

Transparency is one of the core principles of selling a sustainable solution. Consumers demand to know the details, such as what materials are being used, where they’re sourced, and what happens to products at the end of their life cycle.

When brands use native advertising to tell their sustainability stories, this transparency helps build trust. Instead of pushing a product directly, a native ad might include interviews with company executives, data-backed claims about environmental impact, or stories from communities positively impacted by the brand’s initiatives.

Consider the following examples:

• Raising awareness: Content from a fashion influencer might educate readers on the environmental impact of fashion and offer tips for building a sustainable wardrobe. By positioning themselves as part of the solution, the brand builds credibility and attracts consumers from its target archetypes.

• Explaining complex topics: Videos engage target audiences and can help explain complex sustainability topics in a more straightforward and accessible way. To illustrate the value of recycling, for example, a chemical company might create a documentary-style video to show how they teamed up with smaller businesses.

• Using games and interactivity: Interactive native ads, such as quizzes or augmented reality experiences, can gamify sustainability. A food brand might create an interactive quiz about food waste and offer personalized tips on reducing waste at home, while subtly promoting their sustainably packaged products.

A recent survey by PwC found that 46% of consumers say they are buying more sustainable products as a way to reduce their impact on the environment. Native advertising enhances this effect by amplifying a brand’s message in a way that feels organic and trustworthy.

The future of advertising isn’t just about selling products. It’s about telling stories that matter. In a world facing climate change and resource scarcity, few stories matter more than the story of sustainability. The question for brands is simple: are you ready to tell yours?