Online display ads are becoming more popular. Online marketers are spending more on the medium as information gathering and targeted ad delivery are improving, giving the medium a wonderful hybrid of branding ads, internet marketing and a focus on targeted audience, something that other advertising mediums struggle to deliver. Because of this popularity, Forrester Research is projecting a steady and significant increase in CPM (Cost per Thousand) costs over the next 5 years, according to an article on Ad Age Online. The article goes on to explain that while costs will increase, online display ads will be more targeted, and advertisers will only pay for ads that are actually delivered onto viewer’s screens.
Another reason for the popularity of online display ads is the realization of advertisers that they should not evaluate online display in the same fashion that they evaluate organic search or pay per click campaigns. Online display ads, like traditional media, are about reaching an audience, and while click-throughs will occur, they should not be the sole metric to determine the effectiveness of online display campaigns. An online viewer may not stop all that they are doing to click on a display ad, but they will read and remember the information that they have learned from viewing that online display ads.
This new view of online display advertising has made the creative aspect of creating online ads even more important. The messaging of the ads must make as direct an appeal to the targeted audience as possible and the artwork must not only attract attention, but deliver valuable information to the consumer.
Bottom Line: Online display bridges the gap between awareness and targeted audience and is a new channel that should be an integral part of any current advertising campaign. Think of targeted traditional media with superior tracking capability, and you will begin to see the potential of online display advertising.
Eric Van Cleave is a Partner In Zenergy Works, A Santa Rosa, California, Internet Marketing, SMO, SEO and Website Development Firm.