Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Why did ads evolve into banners

Kim Brooks (kbrooks_at_cortland.com)
Thu, 04 Dec 1997 16:02:29 -0800

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I guess there are two questions here -- why banners, and isn't there
something else?

First off - banners were not always dominant. When advertising first came
around on the web, there were experiments with top of the page, bottom of
the page, sponsored-by text, middle of page, sidemargins, etc. As agencies
and larger advertisers came into the picture, they really wanted a)
standardized sizes and placements to better compare pricing &
click-throughs between sites; b) graphics to keep their creative types
happy. Top of the page seemed to get best response. The horizontal shape
gave maximum real estate with minimum scrolling. Graphics allowed logos,
color, carrying of themes from print & TV ads. Voila -- the banner is born.

What next? Already, the banner has become so ubiquitous that visitors
ignore it. So there are new forms starting to show up. Interstitials,
pop-ups, sponsorship of contests or whole "advertorial" areas. Of course,
interactive stuff in the same banner space varies the mix -- Java, Flash,
animated gifs, etc. Aside from all these alternatives, some advertisers
are discovering that nobody likes downloading big ads, so text alternatives
are starting to appear.

I don't think we're regressing to the pre-banner era. Agencies still love
the simplicity of designing one banner that can run anywhere (just like
they do for print). Superpowers like Doubleclick also need
standardization. But I imagine smart sites will offer a variety of
acceptable types: gifs, jpegs, flash, java, text to XYZ specs.

I can't wait! I'm tired of the banner cliche, too. I like consistency but
yearn for some creative sites to finally mix it up.

Kim Brooks
Bardo Interactive Marketing
promotions & design for effective web marketing

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• Next message: Kim M. Bayne, wolfBayne Communications: "ONLINE-ADS>> Make a million dollars overnight on the Internet!!!"
• Archive Home Page
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• Previous message: Andy Bourland: "ONLINE-ADS>> ClickZ's Contrarian Concept of Framing"
• Maybe in reply to: Kam Zardouzian: "ONLINE-ADS>> Why did ads evolve into banners"
• Next in thread: Steve Kruse: "Re: ONLINE-ADS>> Why did ads evolve into banners"

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