Dive Brief: 

• BuzzFeed, a publisher always pushing boundaries, openly admits something most publishers wouldn't—that it purchases traffic to help boost its own native ad offerings. 
• Through what it calls "Social Discovery," BuzzFeed buys ads on Facebook and discovery platform StumbleUpon to help drive traffic to the native spots advertisers have purchased on its site. 
• While some publishing executives may balk at paying for an impression from StumbleUpon, more advertisers are asking BuzzFeed to package a paid distribution with their sponsored content. 

Dive Insight: 

While some may question the value of paying for traffic in the way BuzzFeed is doing, as long as the publisher is being transparent with advertisers and can afford it, it seems like a win-win for everyone. It wouldn't be surprising if this practice proves successful and other publishers follow suit.