Banner ads help advertisers reach narrowly targeted audiences.
The Internet created an advertising medium through which advertisers can reach their target markets at a considerably lower cost than more traditional venues. Banner ads provide advertisers with the opportunity to create eye-catching messages with visual appeal, and technological developments allow advertisers to incorporate animation and even interactive entertainment. The ads typically adhere to a number of standards, though, and advertisers must make several selections before deploying a banner ad campaign.
History
Online advertising dates back to the initial rise in popularity of the Internet itself, and banner ads were part of the advertising strategy from the beginning. As the Internet became increasingly popular during the mid- and late-1990s, according to the media website Media Culture, advertisers developed a number of graphical formats for displaying messages, and web designers grouped the graphics into standard sizes by the end of the 20th century. Though banner ads declined in popularity among advertisers somewhat after the dot.com bust in the early 21st century, they had returned to a 25 percent year-over-year growth rate by 2004. Technological developments during the 21st century also allowed advertisers to move beyond static displays and encompass a number of additional attention-grabbing features.
Types
Though original Internet banner ads featured a simple graphic with a text message, modern ads may feature a static image, an animation or an interactive display. According to the public relations website PR2, banner ads also typically fall into two advertising cost categories. Advertisers usually pay for Internet banner ads based on the number of users who view the message, often expressed as cost per thousand or CPM. Some advertisers prefer to pay only when a user clicks on the banner ad, though, so advertising venues allow a fee based on the cost per click, or CPC.
Sizes
Banner ads may take a horizontal, vertical or square shape, and web users have adopted a number of standard dimensions to ensure the widest possible integration. The Interactive Advertising Bureau notes that the original and most popular standard, that PR2 identifies as a horizontal banner 468 pixels wide by 60 pixels tall, has been retired in favor of smaller, more space-efficient layouts. Standard banner ad sizes now include medium rectangles that measure 300 by 250, larger leader-board banners that measure 728 by 90 pixels, skyscraper banners that measure 160 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall and simple rectangles that measure 180 by 150 pixels. Other sizes include a half page banner that measures 300 by 600, a button that measures 120 by 60 and a micro bar with measurements of 88 by 31.
Benefits
Media Culture explains that banner ads provide advertisers with a cost efficient and creative way to get their messages in front of potential customers. Internet banner ads also typically connect to campaign tracking systems that allow advertisers to track ad performance, and online ad placement helps advertisers reach only their target demographics. From a user's perspective, banner ads provide both entertainment and a revenue source that helps keep many websites free of charge.
