How To Save Banner Ads

I just got done speaking at the OMMA Conference in Los Angeles.  I sat on a panel of 5, and we had 45 minutes to discuss ‘Can Creative Save Display?’  The simple answer is NO…at least not by itself.

It’s a big topic and a lot went unsaid in the short 45 minutes, so here is a quick breakdown of what I would do to save banner ads:

Targeting. Let’s start with what everyone is saying – better targeting!  How?  Well that’s 2 or 3 blog posts in itself…let’s just say it can get a lot better.  There are some powerful tools for targeting out there, but privacy issues will be that other arm wrestling against them.

Bigger is not better. Both the IAB and OPA are preaching bigger banner ads.  That’s a mistake and is really just adding more lipstick to the pig.  As our screens get smaller, taking away content space and providing more real estate to something already not working will hurt the user’s experience and only frustrate views down the (very short) road.

Banner-DUE. Instead of banners getting bigger, why not go in the other direction and broom them off the page – only leaving the resiDUE of the banners behind.  What is this Banner-DUE I speak of…imagine a very clean site with only content as the hero.  As you read, you come across a small/simple icon that lives in the content…a very discreet piece of marketing (resiDUE) that is specific to the content being read.  When you get to the icon you can ignore it and continue reading or choose to rollover it and either goto that link, save it for later consumption, send to others, post to your socialNets, etc.  For better transparency, using a simple set of  banner-DUE icons will tell the users right away what type of content is awaiting them, allowing for better decisions around what marketing messages hold value in their eyes.

Mass-Customization. Banners are not going away tomorrow, and for the near future we will see growth in the number of banner sizes offered.  We consume our content with screens of all sizes (phones to giant plasmas).  A banner campaign needs to be created as a ‘kit of parts’ that dovetails nicely to each user’s needs and their current screen.  As creatives, our challenge is to build those targeted components that speak in many unique ways, but are still conceptually strong, esthetically appealing and easily mass produced.

Let People opt in! I know…most people think this is bullshit, but hear me out.  If you give users a choice of – (A) continue getting the random crap ads as usual, or (B) tell us how you want to be marketed to.  Users would jump at the opportunity to tell marketers that they would prefer in-text ads over eye-blasters, or the fact they prefer basketball over golf and action films over documentaries.  If all of the talk around targeted advertising is really about giving the users what they want, why not simply ask them?  To further incentivize user opt in, imagine banners that give away $$$ instantly and only those that have opted in have access to those special (golden ticket) banners.

Facebook Connect. Ad networks should be ALL OVER THIS!  Again, users would need to opt into opening up their Facebook content to the ad networks.  If users do so, they would receive marketing materials based on their latest Facebook status update, or see banners that are personalized with their own images.  Again, opting in with levels of exposure to their personal data is key.  Phones already allow people to opt into receiving geo-targeted local area coupons as they get close to participating retailers…banner should be keeping pace.

Banner as tool. If you can serve up a valuable tool that will save time, people will engage with that banner.  For example, someone is reading an article about shoes, and the banner is for Zappos.  The banner has a live feed of someone waiting to help you right there through the banner.  ‘I can order your shoes right now!’  If needed, the banner can be expanded and the live helper on the other end will show you different shoes and talk you through any questions you may have.  For companies that are already engaged in client conversations through social media, the person live on the other end of that banner can very well be the same person doing your Twitter/Facebook/etc. correspondence.  Call center reps. that have taken on digital channels are also ripe for staring in these banners.

Ad networks, publishers, advertisers and agencies all need to start thinking about larger shifts in how banners get used.  If not, it won’t be a pretty site when that caked on lipstick quickly starts running down the chin of our pig.