Earlier this year, the Montreal Gazette teamed up with Concordia University to develop an effective and engaging native advertising campaign.
The five-part, 10-week series ran in print and on digital platforms and included a mix of editorial content, infographics and videos about the future of Montreal. The campaign was designed to change the public’s perception of the university from a fine arts school to a leading institution that excels in hard sciences research and facilities.
The “Showcase Concordia” campaign went on to earn an award at the 2016 INMA Global Media Awards and is the focus of a new INMA blog post post authored by World Newsmedia Network CEO, Martha Stone.
“I think for native advertising to be interesting, it needs a journalist’s touch,” explains Postmedia native advertising producer Olivia Collette, who was interviewed by Stone for INMA. “It has to be overseen by a producer who understands how to make the videos and graphics interesting to the reader. We are thinking of the reader all the time, the experience they are having with their content. We are trying to not make it too sales-y. We have that experience. We have that sensibility.”
