DISPLAY ADVERTISING
Increasingly web pages carry some form of online advertising, whether serving to promote services or products or information offered by the website owners or by third party businesses or organisations.
Increasingly this "Display Advertising" uses rich formats designed to catch the eye of users visiting the webpage, and can take the form of a banner or expandable skyscraper, overlay or MPU unit. It can be effective for raising awareness through the "impression" of the advert on the user, but it is most effective when the user is sufficiently engaged to "click through" the advert and visit the web page linked to it.
Whether it be through a banner or expandable skyscraper, MPU unit or overlay, display advertising online is often effective for both direct response and branding campaigns and there is a strong argument for making display advertising a key part of an internet marketing campaign, provided it is carefully targeted and monitored, with appropriate creative.
Rich Media formats, which include the overlay, the expandable banner and streamed video, have been developed to expoit the advantages of broadband to build more sophisticated online advertising. This richer creative is intended to entertain the user, to encourage them to interact with the advert and spend time engaging with the brand. Using advanced technology and often audio visual elements, rich media formats aid the advertiser in providing a richer experience for the user.
Rich media adverts are often animated or richer versions of standard display formats or they appear over the website content grabbing user attention. It also allows the user to gain a brand experience without even leaving the site they have visited.
However some internet users will respond negatively to advertising that is too intrusive or that obscures the content and cannot be easily removed or closed. It is therefore essential that adverts feature a clear close button and any sound is user-initiated. The user must feel in control.
[This section is currently being updated - please check back soon.]
|