Banner Ads

When was the last time you clicked a banner ad? Odds are it was sometime in the late 1990’s, but for some reason that hasn’t slowed their growth. Most people agree traditional advertising media are in decline, but did you realize more than 5.3 trillion banner ads were served to U.S. users last year?

That tidbit was one of ‘15 Alarming Stats about Banner Ads’ I read last week in a Digiday article. Chock full of interesting factoids, my favorite came from Solve Media, because apparently “you’re more likely to survive a plane crash than click a banner ad.”

As is often the case, more informative (and entertaining) than the editorial is the online commentary from readers. While some are quick to defend or decry one measurement metric over another, the general takeaway is that banner ads can play a valuable role in integrated marketing campaigns.

Delivering a consistent message to your target audience has always been the key to successful advertising. It was true in the heyday of newspapers and television, and it’s still true in today’s world of digital communications.

The difference is online marketing is more complex. The art and science of marketing has always been there – from the breadth of knowledge needed to match buyers with brands to mastering the technical requirements of successful creative. Not only has the Internet given marketers more ways to deliver messages, but the rules also keep changing faster and faster.

The bottom line is very few people are going to click your banner ad, but if it’s part of an integrated marketing campaign that was designed to deliver a consistent message to your target audience, then it can have a cumulative effect.

Until next week,

Matthew Anderson, President
Milestone Marketing Associates, Inc.