Balancing Nativeness: Unpacking the Interaction Between Design and Content Nativeness in In‐Feed Advertising

ABSTRACT Advertisers increasingly rely on in‐feed ads to reduce ad avoidance, yet their seamless integration can also decrease ad awareness and trigger perceptions of deception, creating a double‐edged sword. This research addresses this paradox by examining the interaction effect of design nativeness and content nativeness. Across four experiments, including static feed images, interactive virtual news websites, and a webcam‐based eye‐tracking study, we find that when content nativeness is high, low (vs. high) design nativeness captures more attention and subsequently elicits more favorable ad attitudes, whereas this effect disappears under low content nativeness. These findings advance research on native advertising and attention processes while offering actionable guidance for balancing ad visibility, consumer acceptance, and regulatory transparency.