Try to remember the last great ad that you saw. Presumably many commercials come to mind. Now, do the same exercise but try to recall the last great display ad you saw.
Gilad de Vries published an article in Forbes in May arguing that advertisers are “missing the boat when it comes to using digital ads for branding.” De Vries argues that the reason it is so challenging to remember an impactful display ad is simply because there aren’t many. He believes that there is a lack of emotional reaction to banner ads and that such lack of emotion renders these display ads almost meaningless.
I’m not sure that I completely agree with de Vries on this point. There are some banner ads that catch my attention and stick with me. However, such ads tend to be those representing something that is already trending. I think that it is probably more difficult for a display ad to capture a reader’s attention if the ad is for a little known product. Therefore in these instances, I do agree with de Vries.
If a company is marketing a brand new product, then it makes sense that there should be some sort of memorable element included in the ad. The problem though, is that it is difficult to include this sort of emotional/memorable element in a banner ad!
De Vries goes on to state that there is only “one true branding mechanism online” and that’s content marketing. The content can take any form (i.e. blogs, articles, videos, etc.) The purpose of the content is to both inform and engage the audience. This makes sense especially for new products since the ad will not only have to catch the audience’s attention but will also have to explain what the product is. Therein lies (de Vries’) problem with display ads; display ads inform, but do not always engage.
This interpretation seems relevant (and touches upon discussions we had in class.) If I come across a banner ad of a product I am not familiar with, the ad probably won’t be memorable to me. If however, I am directed to a content site or even see a blog post regarding a new brand – particularly a site or blog that is telling a memorable story – I will be more inclined to read further and to remember the ad.
It seems that de Vries has a point after all. It will be interesting to find out if he is right and if content marketing will become the “next digital media revolution.”
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/05/07/online-display-ads-the-brand-awareness-black-hole/
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2012/05/07/online-display-ads-the-brand-awareness-black-hole/
2 comments:
i dont know i think de vries is de wrong. different strategies for people in different states of mind. Think of the way Cheryl Sandberg describes the user experience on Google vs Facebook. On the hunt vs. in the house. People go online to do many different things: shop, connect, entertain, scheme, spout, etc. Different strategies define these various moments of intellectual perturbation. For the Googler, in search of specific items and information, properly contextualized display ads will be meaningful whether they're engaging or not. If im looking for fishing rods and a boring display ad pops up for the Best Rod Ever at the Lowest Price, i will probably click on it. If it has not content associated with it, I wont care. If im passively engaged in iChats, emails and Facebook time, I will be less likely turned on by non engaging, non informative marketing. in that case, i would need to be moved. and i would only share with my friends something i thought was either clever or moving. I think de vries just had nothing better to write about.
You make some valid points. However, I think that de Vries was writing more in the context of branding than he was in everyday display ads. I agree with you that a run-of-the-mill pure text display ad for a low priced fishing rod will garner the attention it deserves from people looking for fishing rods. But, I do not think that a similar, all-text display ad for say, one of our project companies, will be as meaningful. Advertising for this type of company will probably require both an informational and emotional impact to get people’s attention and force them to remember this new company/product, etc.
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