• Journal of Service Research and Studies
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.24-40
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• 2023

As the aversion to advertising grows, native advertising has gained significant attention as a means to counteract this rejection. Native advertising is designed to seamlessly blend with other content on the page where they are displayed. They mimic the overall design and presentation of the platform, providing a natural exposure to consumers. Many companies utilize native advertising, but there is not much academic research on this topic. Therefore this study aims to examine the effectiveness of native advertising for social issues. The study looked at two types of native advertising: ads created by a company and ads sponsored by a company. Results suggested that consumers showed more positive attitudes towards a company's ads if they were sponsored by the company rather than created by the company. This study argued that this effect would be more pronounced for consumers who tended to buy ethically. To verify these hypotheses an online experiment was conducted revealing that on average consumers displayed the same attitude toward a company whether the native advertising was created or sponsored by a company. However, it was also discovered that consumers with a tendency for ethical consumerism formed more positive attitudes toward companies when the company sponsored native advertising as opposed to having created it. In practice, this study suggests how companies can improve the effectiveness of native advertising, such as implementing native advertising as a sponsor and being transparent about their advertising to appeal to consumers with high ethical consumption tendencies. This study expands the scope of research in areas related to native adverting and corporate social responsibilities.