Display advertisements- is their only purpose to annoy users?
By Belle Donato
What are display advertisements?
Display advertisements are found on any online platforms and their main purpose is to promote the company by having targeted viewers take a specific action. This can look different based on every company, and there can even be variability between advertisements within the same company (Basu). Display advertisements can be a static image that appears on a website, or it can be a video pop up (What are display ads).
Different types of display advertisements:
Banner advertisements: These are one of the first forms of digital advertising. Banner ads appear at the top of the screen and are typically noticed by the viewer quickly. Sometimes, banners are expandable; viewers can learn more information by enlarging the banner itself (Basu). See an example of a banner advertisement below.
360-degree display advertisements: These are spherical advertisements that are derived from flat digital content. This specific type of a display ad is used to increase engagement (Basu).
Interstitial advertisements: These advertisements appear before the user sees the webpage that they originally clicked on. This will take over the entire screen. These ads ensure that every user will view the ad; they have no way to bypass the advertisement entirely (Basu).
Overlay advertisements: This type of advertisement is a pop up, but instead, it has a semi-translucent background. This is not a complete aversion to the user, but their attention is directed to the pop up (Basu).
Rich media advertisements: Advertisements like this are more complex. They have some type of creative element involved, like audio or other digital features. This creates a more engaging advertisement (Basu).
Video advertisements: These advertisements play before, during, or after the selected streaming content. This completely blocks the user from seeing the content they selected. Having a video advertisement allows for more clarity and viewer engagement (Basu).
Why do companies use display advertisements?
Display advertisements are a great marketing strategy for a company looking to promote products and services. Some of the main benefits of using display advertisements are to create better brand awareness, quick message displays, they are fairly easy to create, and reach a large variety of customers on every level of the purchase funnel (What are display ads). While these are all convincing reasons to consider using display advertisements, it is not a perfect marketing strategy. As we all know, the majority of the general population doesn't like advertisements. They are annoying and distract the user from what they need to be doing. With that being said, many viewers do not pay close attention to the display advertisements on online platforms.
How do you ensure that your display advertisement reaches your target audience?
Based on the product or service that the company is trying to promote, it is important to narrow in on the specific target audience. While you want to reach as many people as possible, it is important to narrow in on the target audience that would be interested.
Tips for the display advertising targeting process:
Define your demographic: Remind yourself of the people you want to see your advertisements. This segmentation can be based on age, gender, interests, etc (BasuMallick).
Identify target keywords: Consider matching keywords in your own advertisement with keywords on specific websites. This will filter in users who are searching for something similar to the product or service you are trying to promote (BasuMallick).
Zero in on the topic: It is important to be specific. This will help narrow down websites that should be a good fit for your advertisement (BasuMallick).
Show advertisements based on interest: Publish display advertisements that make sense with your product or service. Using data based on user behavior could be helpful to make a decision (BasuMallick).
Retarget based on previous behavior: Continuing to publish display advertisements through the same companies can increase brand awareness and recall (BasuMallick).
Citations
Basu, Sreejata. “What Are Display Ads: Getting to Know It Better: Muvi AD Server.” Getting to Know Display Ads: An Introduction, 4 Mar. 2021, www.muvi.com/blogs/getting-to-know-display-ads/ .
BasuMallick, Chiradeep. “What Is Display Advertising? Definition, Targeting Process, Types, Networks, Examples, and a Management Checklist.” Spiceworks, 16 Mar. 2021, www.spiceworks.com/marketing/programmatic-advertising/articles/what-is-display-advertising/.
“What Is Display Advertising? A Beginner’s Guide.” Mailchimp, mailchimp.com/marketing-glossary/display-ads/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2024.