The Jargon Jungle of Digital Marketing
Digital marketing is riddled with buzzwords that often lose their essence due to overuse. Terms like “storytelling” and “millennials” have been worn thin, while other jargon like “display advertising” gets tossed around ambiguously. This confusion can make it challenging to grasp what truly constitutes effective digital advertising.
Clarifying Display Advertising
Display ads: What Are They Really?
Contrary to the broad brush that paints all online marketing as display advertising, true display ads are distinct. They are the clearly marked boxes on websites, designed to be immediately recognisable as advertisements. These can take various forms:
- Traditional banner ads at the top of a page
- Larger text billboards
- Video ads
These ads are strategically placed in parts of the website dedicated to paid advertising, aiming for rapid viewer conversion. Display ads are not subtle, nor are they meant to be; their goal is to catch the eye quickly.
Effectiveness and Formats
According to insights from Google, the most effective display ads typically come in specific sizes like 336x280 or 300x250 pixels (medium rectangles), 300x600 pixels (half-page ads), and either 728x90 or 320x110 pixels (horizontal banners). These dimensions are optimised to balance visibility and content disruption, striving to engage without overwhelming the user experience.
Distinguishing Between Display and Native Advertising
Native Ads: The Camouflage of Advertising
Native advertising diverges sharply from display advertising. These ads are designed to blend in with their environment, making them less obtrusive and potentially more engaging due to their subtlety. They mimic the look and feel of the editorial content that surrounds them, making them harder to identify at a glance. For instance, a native ad may look like a standard article or feature in a digital magazine but will be marked subtly with terms like “sponsored” to denote its paid nature.
Native vs. Display: Placement and Perception
While both native and display ads are paid placements, their strategies differ significantly. Display ads are forthright in their approach, clearly demarcated from non-ad content, whereas native ads are integrated smoothly to seem like part of the organic content flow. Overt promotion frequently results in viewer resistance to advertising, which this integration helps to reduce.
Case Studies in Advertising
Examples of Effective Ad Placement
Illustrating effective advertising, the article references a Curalate ad on ClickZ, which leaves no doubt about its nature as an advertisement. Meanwhile, an Excellence Resorts ad on Yahoo's digital magazine cleverly uses the label "SPONSORED" to distinguish itself while blending with other content stylistically.
The Future of Online Advertising
Understanding the distinctions between display and native advertising is crucial for marketers aiming to craft effective digital campaigns. As the digital landscape evolves, so too must our strategies for engaging consumers. Advertisers must continue to innovate in how they design and place their ads, ensuring they meet the dual goals of attracting attention and providing value.
