Does size matter?

Planit Agency
March 14, 2011

Check out this article about online ad size.

Banner ads have long been used to monetize a publisher’s website and breakup content through strategic use of above- and below-the-fold placements. Combined with the right ad server, they have powerful tracking capabilities that allow for great insight into measuring a campaign’s success.

With that said, the one thing online ads have been lacking has been size. Rich media ads can be eye catching, but has animation taken the place of solid design and messaging in some cases? One way or the other, larger IAB ad sizes may bring a new sense of life into online display advertising design.

There are still so many questions that remain to be answered:

Will the click-thru rates see a noticeable jump from the 0.02% to 0.07% industry standard? Will the $50 to $100 CPM rates be worth the cost versus the more traditional fixed-cost homepage buys? Will the ad networks be able to control the creative so that it does not cause crashed pages and long load times?

I spoke with a contact at a large ad network that is already using these ad units, and they have seen many verticals already benefiting from these larger ad units.

The entertainment industry is promoting the latest film releases. Travel companies are creating interactive experiences that go past awareness and straight into a heavier push for ticket sales. Pharmaceutical companies are loving the extra space to include more room for their list of required legalese.

There will be a lot of room for growth here, and I am sure that a lot will change in the next year or so. But if this recent move begins to improve the overall art design of online ads (which has been lacking)—that is a welcome change in my eyes…