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home > design tips > banner design > banner campaign types Types of banner ad campaignsBanner advertising campaigns generally fall into two categories: branding campaigns and click-through campaigns. This article gives a general overview of both types of campaigns and how to achieve good results with them. Branding banner ad campaignsBranding campaigns are done for the purpose of getting a company's name out to the public. They usually coincide with promotional advertisements in other venues: print, radio, television, sponsorship of events, etc. The type of company that employs a branding banner ad campaign may either already be well-established with the public (like Coca-Cola or Microsoft), or it may be a company that isn't yet known to the public but has the resources to do a large promotion. Branding banner ad campaigns have certain advantages over regular click-through banner ad campaigns. A branding banner ad does not have to concern itself so much with immediate or short-term results. It can be an advantage to prominently advertise your company name and web address right inside the banner itself. (Even featuring a contact phone number can work well.) The goal is not so much to get people to click immediately on your banner ad but to have your company's name stick in the mind of the public through repeated advertising. You want to make your audience feel familiar enough with your company image (or reinforce that feeling of familiarity) that going to your Web site is almost second nature. Furthermore, if you are purchasing keyword or category displays in search engines and directories, respectively, and your branding banner ad appears on those sites over a period of time, end users will tend to associate those keywords with your company name. The downside of branding campaigns is that they require much more money to maintain than click-through campaigns, and it's harder to gauge when a branding banner ad campaign is working successfully (or what should be changed if it isn't). Since click-through rates (CTRs) are not an effective measure of a banner ad's success, you need to establish a longer time frame for whether visitors to and/or sales on your site increase as a result of your branding campaign.
Click-through banner ad campaignsIf you are a small-to-midsize company and have a limited budget for purchasing banner ads, you need to realize maximum effectiveness each time your banner ad is displayed. This requires a click-through banner ad campaign. You should use this type of campaign not to promote your company but to connect with your audience on the most direct level. A click-through campaign banner ad may call for action on your audience's part (for example, it may state what they want or need and how they can use your site to get it), or it may share strong feelings, such as humor or outrage, to catch your audience's attention or elicit a reaction. (One banner ad could combine the two and allow you to figuratively throw a pie in the face of a big tycoon who raises our gas prices.) Another effective click-through strategy is to design a trick banner ad, in which the graphics look like actual links or buttons. For example, many advertisers of software and online utilities use banner ads that look like dialog boxes. As long as the banner ad takes viewers to the kind of site they're expecting when they click on it, clever "trick" banner ad graphics are acceptable enticements to get them to click. The disadvantage of click-through banner ads is that they force you to target your audience more accurately. If you make your banner ad too general, or even deceptive, you'll get a large number of click-throughs but few sales. This can also cost a lot if you have an account with a web advertising company that charges you per click-through. Make sure your banner ad is an accurate reflection of what you're offering or takes people right to where they're expecting to go.
ConclusionWe have found the most effective banner advertising campaigns to be a combination of branding and click-through strategies. Both types of banner ads should feature a call to action and offer a clear benefit to end users. Any web site that has a clear benefit to end users and actually delivers on that benefit will get positive branding with its customers.
If you have any specific questions about our banner design tips, or if you would like permission to republish this banner design tip on your web site or newsletter, please use our contact form or email us at info@grantasticdesigns.com.
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