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Vendor reportLocaliQ, 2026

Native ads got the most clicks on the USA TODAY Network at 0.28% CTR

Channel validation

0.28%

average click-through rate for native display ads on the USA TODAY Network in 2026

Reader Note:
From the USA TODAY Network dataset rather than the LocaliQ customer campaigns. The report says native ads blend into headline pages, articles, and newsletters on the network. High-impact came in just behind at 0.26% and video far below at 0.09%. The figure is a median even though the report uses the term average.
Evidence:
Observed behaviour
Vendor interest:
High — This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
Sample:
Two datasets: 7,074 LocaliQ customer display advertising campaigns from April 2025 to June 2026, plus 55,798 location-based display advertising campaigns on the USA TODAY Network from July 2025 to June 2026.

Good for

Comparing yourself against a similar segment, and choosing what to test next.

Not for

  • Saying that one thing caused another, or predicting what you would get.
  • This was measured in one market. It may not hold where you are.
  • This comes from a company with a commercial interest in this market, so it is not a neutral source.
  • This is an aggregated or average number that covers very different cases. Real results in a particular segment may differ.
  • The source says how much it looked at, but not how any of it was chosen.
Channel validationTrend

20% of Gen Z and 17% of Millennials discover new brands through influencer endorsements, vs 12% of Gen X and 5% of Boomers

Vendor report

GWI, 2026

20% of Gen Z and 17% of Millennials discover new brands through influencer endorsements, vs 12% of Gen X and 5% of Boomers

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