Dive Brief: 

• Digital publication Mic has an anti-banner ad policy and it's working to attract advertisers. 
• The millennial-focused publication realizes that display ads are just background noise to younger readers and instead has put focus towards custom branded native ads instead. 
• Brands looking to reach millennials have tapped Mic in recent months including Cola Haan, Microsoft, Cadillac, and GE—it's "Map Your Mind" quiz that has already seen over 320,000 visits. 

Dive Insight: 

Custom branded content and native ads can be highly effective. What Mic realizes is that it needs to put in the people, time, and effort to churn out great work, like with GE's "Map Your Mind." This isn't going to be something every publication will be able to do, but those that don't might be left behind. Increasingly it seems millennials are more accustomed to these kinds of ads, which mean display ads could become even more obsolete.