Inside Native Advertising Days 2025: Industry Insights and Celebrating Client Wins

From award-winning client campaigns to cutting-edge insights, Vev’s presence at Native Advertising Days marked a milestone in the evolution of branded content.

On May 14, 2025, the native advertising community gathered at Kings Place in London for Native Advertising Days 2025, marking the event's tenth anniversary and its inaugural hosting in the UK. Vev was honoured to sponsor this landmark event, hosted by Native Advertising Institute, immersing ourselves in a day filled with insightful discussions, innovative showcases, and celebrations of excellence in branded content.

Vev's Role as Sponsor: Facilitating the Conversations That Matter

As a sponsor of Native Advertising Days 2025, Vev’s goal wasn’t just to show up. We were there to support and spark the conversations shaping the future of native advertising.

From the moment the doors opened at Kings Place in London, we engaged with creators, marketers, publishers, and innovators to explore the challenges and opportunities facing our industry. We spoke with attendees about how teams can collaborate more effectively, how to balance creativity with performance, and how technology can elevate—not replace—the human touch in storytelling.

By being part of these discussions, we saw firsthand how the native advertising community is evolving: toward more intentional, data-informed, and design-driven content. We’re proud that Vev could help provide the space and tools for those ideas to surface.

Because for us, sponsorship isn’t just about visibility. It’s about enabling the future of great content.

Insights from the Stage: Key Takeaways about the Future of Native Advertising

The conference featured a lineup of esteemed speakers who shared their expertise on the current and future state of native advertising. Throughout the day, several themes emerged:

From Attention to Intention

A highlight was the keynote by Dr. Imran Rashid, titled "From Attention Economy to Intention Economy," which delved into the shift towards more meaningful and intentional content consumption.

Key Insight: Capturing attention isn’t enough—great content must hold it with purpose.

Dr. Imran Rashid’s keynote challenged marketers to shift from exploiting attention to designing experiences that respect cognitive limits and inspire intentional engagement. This echoed a broader call for content that aligns with user needs, not just traffic goals.

Dr. Rashid then introduced the concept of "Authenticity as a Service," advocating for media that helps individuals lead better, more intentional lives. Building trust through authentic content is paramount. 

 “Authenticity” has been a buzzword for a while now. But breaking it down, and in the context of branded content, the takeaway here is that it is essential to transition from merely capturing attention to fostering meaningful, intentional engagement via authentic content that serves purpose.

AI as a Creative Partner

Key Insight: AI can elevate storytelling, but only when guided by strong editorial vision.

Multiple speakers emphasized using AI to support ideation, personalization, and performance tracking, without losing the human voice. The most compelling campaigns struck a balance between automation and authenticity.

A theme covered in a panel discussion hosted by Ellen Cabrinetti Meum (Head of Product and Tech at Schibsted Partnerstudio) was the need to see beyond the "buzz" of AI in order to make the reality of AI work for your team.

Asking various panellists if their teams are "AI ready" led to discussions about how managers need to give their team members the time and tools to properly get to grips with AI, experiment with it, and not be scared to use it. Ultimately, it can save time in the content production workflow, allowing for creative minds to use their skills where it matters rather than on the more menial or admin-focused aspects of their jobs.

Immersive, Interactive Formats Are Gaining Ground

Key Insight: Interactivity is no longer a nice-to-have. It’s an expectation.

Audiences want to explore, not just consume. Campaigns that featured scrolling animations, embedded storytelling, and dynamic layouts consistently stood out—many of them built using platforms like Vev.

In a talk by Hannah Springett (CEO and Founder of HLabs), were were presented with three key aspects of creating high impact storytelling content.

1. Engage: Use editorial structure, interactivity and thoughtful design to boost audience engagement (by over 567% in the case of HLabs!)
2. Educate: Activate learning and leave lasting impression through custom illustrations, content hubs, and informational resources.
3. Inspire: Take client expectations further, such as by transforming an in person event into an immersive digital experience

HLabs use Vev to do just this, in project made for RedBull, WWF, and more!

Collaboration Over Silos

Key Insight: Creative, editorial, and marketing teams are breaking down barriers to build better content.

Several sessions highlighted new workflows that bring together diverse stakeholders earlier in the content process. Many attendees already use Vev to do just that, through our collaboration tools built on the ethos that the creative process is not linear. When strategy and design align from day one, campaigns perform better and teams move faster.

Award-winning content made in Vev

The evening culminated in the Native Advertising Awards 2025 ceremony, where outstanding campaigns were honoured. We were thrilled to celebrate the successes of several Vev clients who received accolades for their exceptional work. Some of the winners include:

Schibsted Partnerstudio

Vev users Schibsted Partnerstudio won gold for:

1. Best Data-Driven Campaign, for Another Ball Game created for Norwegian Directorate of Health.
2. Best Influencer Partnership, Takeoff for Norwegian

Amedia

Vev users Amedia won gold in two categories:

1. Best Series of Sponsored Articles, for the campaign of Norway's Best Ski Trip for Intersport
2. Best Brand Awareness Campaign, for a collaboration with Skoda and the Blåtur Generator campaign.

Looking Ahead: The Future of Native Advertising

Participating in Native Advertising Days 2025 reinforced our commitment to innovation and excellence in this field. The insights gained and connections made inspire us to continue supporting our clients in creating compelling, effective native advertising content.

We extend our gratitude to the organizers, speakers, fellow sponsors, and all attendees who made the event a resounding success. As we reflect on the valuable experiences from Native Advertising Days 2025, we look forward to continuing our journey in advancing the art and science of native advertising.

Vev is trusted by native advertising experts for a reason

Feeling inspired to create your own award-winning native advertising content? Listed in the Native Advertising Institute's Global Guide to the Branded Content Tech Stack 2025, Vev is the choice of leading brand studios, marketers, and publishers when it comes to crafting and publishing show-stopping interactive branded content. Want to know how Vev can be tailored to your team? Book a demo now to get started.