24 Jun Banner Ads: They’re Still Relevant

The digital advertising world seems to hop through trends at a jaguar’s pace. Today’s hot item is native advertising. Does this mean banner ads are no longer effective? Absolutely not!

Instead of being pushed to the wayside in favor of the latest and greatest, banner ads have actually evolved. They are no longer completely static 300X250 squares targeted to the wrong people at the wrong time. Done right, they can be compelling and engaging rich media ad units, reaching a targeted, well-defined audience.

ClickZ tells us that successful banner ads drive the viewer to interact – not just because they are looking to buy something, but because they are truly interested in the story that the product or brand has to tell.

Choosing video in a banner ad can be very powerful. Sight, sound and motion can be an important part of storytelling, as long as it supports the story instead of replacing it with bells and whistles that have no strategy attached to them.

Another way banner ads have stepped up is that you now have deep insight into the browsing, shopping and buying habits of users, which allows you to deliver the right advertiser to the person at the right time. You can also use this data to plan and update the creative message itself.

Banner ads don’t have to be replaced by native advertising; they can enhance it by giving viewers more ways to interact with your brand.