The humble flash banner ad is a forgotten relic of today’s online brand advertising ecosystem. Talk to any media agency or brand/marketing team and all the focus is the video, social or data driven strategies. The banner ad has become the poor cousin, confined to performance based buying and only valued if it can land a click (accidental or otherwise).
However, done the right way, there is still opportunity for banner display advertising to play a role in online branding campaigns. And with low CPM rates available they can be an efficient supplement in your online branding strategy. So here’s a few tips for getting the most out of your online banner display:
1. Use bold placements to create awareness and impact eg. takeovers, skins, half pages
2. Manage your frequency – especially on more intrusive formats.
a. Video and intrusive formats eg. takeovers are impactful at low frequencies. Negative brand impacts can occur with excessive frequency
b. Standard flash banners can tolerate more frequency – aim for 5-8 depending on creative quality and message complexity
3. Get your creative right
a. for a brand campaign it is critical to communicate the brand on every frame for best performance
b. Keep the message focused – don’t try to say too much
c. Make sure every frame can stand on its own (consumers may not see all frames or watch an ad rotation all the way through)
4. Measure and improve your performance – ensure you are measuring the brand impact created (not just clicks or engagement) and don’t settle for a single number scorecard. Dig deep to learn what worked and what didn’t, then apply to campaigns going forward.
So next time you’re planning your online brand campaign it might be worth considering the role banner ads can play to extend the life of your campaign or cost efficiently supplement online video formats.
