With the inception of the world wide web(WWW), online advertising has always been evolving since the 1990’s to what is now a billion-dollar industry. As internet usage increased over a period of time digital marketing has also developed into from being just a search engine to SEM, SEO, display advertisement, affiliate marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, in-app advertising, however, the common aspect which has become a bridge between the strategies of marketing and the end-user is an image file, in marketing terminology, this is called with many names, a clickable web ad or banner or creatives.
The first clickable ad launched by AT&T in the year 1994 was laughed upon however the stats show that it had 44% click-through rate which was a leaderboard ad placed on top of the webpage, it was then the webmasters have repositioned content on the webpage which later paved the way to different banner sizes and positions.
But what makes a banner ad efficient in the current market situation?
According to smallbiztrends:
- 30% of internet users find traditional banner advertising distracting and users tend to avoid sites where ads interfere too much.
- 90% of online ads are not even noticed.
- 64% of ads are annoying or intrusive.
As user’s interaction over the internet increased the evolution of a banner has also happened, from a single image file to an animated gif to HTML5 ads to interactive ads to User content generated ads.
Factors to consider while developing banner ads:
Current market usage of banner ads: Source: blog.bannersnack.com
Based on display sizes
Animated Gif Vs HTML5
Fonts
Typography also places a key role in conveying a message through digital banners. This is an important decision to make as the message should be easy to understand and readable.
Top 5 fonts used by designers:
- Gotham, Helvetica Neue LT Std, Proxima Nova, Brandson Grotesque, Bebas Neue
Top 5 fonts used by marketers:
- Myriad Prod, Helvetica Neue LT Std, Gotham, Proxima Nova, Open Sans
Stats marketers should consider as well:
- 60% of clicks on banners are accidental as per Media week.
- Only 9% of digital ads are viewed more than 1 sec as per marketing week
- 34% of users use ad blockers
- If the same ad reaches the same person for more than 40 times, sales decline as per ARF
- Native ads reached 5.1 million people and resulted in a click rate of >8% as per (Beeby Clark + Meyler)
Understanding all of this in this content industry and adjusting to the changes in contrast with user’s requirements resulted in identifying new standards and guidelines to ensure ads are seen by the target audience.
