Upgrading THE Online Ad Sale

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, March 1, 2001 by Helen Berman

"Each Web site has its own way of doing rich media," says Charles Buchwalter, vice president of media research for AdRelevance, a Jupiter Media Metrix company. "If you're an ad agency, that's a pain. You throw up your arms and say, 'It's too hard.'"

Meanwhile, most online advertisers have proven reluctant to venture past the usual ad choices--given that banners currently consume about 80 percent of online ad revenue, according to AdRelevance. It's not just that rich media is seen as a technological pain (not to mention expensive). It's also seen as a customer pain. One person's attention-getter--an ad that drops down over content, or crops up during a download--is another person's break-and-entry.

"I was at an Internet society meeting the other night where people were saying, 'Kill the pop-up window,'" says Jennifer Easton, former marketing manager, OneMediaPlace. "It's intrusive. That's the big thing now: What's the tolerance level for intrusion? Technology allows certain things, but we're all still human."

So what's the rich-media future? Buchwalter insists rich creative will keep building, and so will advertiser interest. That, he says, is because plain banner ads are too limiting for traditional, brand-building advertisers, such as consumer goods.

"These companies know how to brand in the offline world, in print and on TV," he says. "They're still standing on the sidelines, saying, 'Can you do branding on the Web?'" With rich media, he says, "advertisers can add interactivity, dynamism and emotion into online ads--something many people feel has been sorely missing. If traditional advertisers see Internet ads that look more like true video ads, they're going to increasingly experiment on the Web."

ONLINE ADVERTISING OPTIONS

** STANDARD BANNER

WHAT IT IS: 468 X 60 pixel horizontal ad that links through to a microsite or home page

WHAT IT'S FOR: Branding

WHO USES IT: Anyone who wants to introduce a brand or new product to a site

** HALF-BANNER, SQUARE BUTTON

WHAT IT IS: Approximately 150,000 square pixels of ad space, with a link

WHAT IT'S FOR: Brand reinforcement, sponsorships

WHO USES IT: Advertisers who want to keep their names in front of the viewers; products that need little explanation

** MICROBUTTON

WHAT IT IS: 88 X 31 pixels--about the size of a side view of a match box--with a link

WHAT IT'S FOR: Announcing affiliation with site; brand reinforcement

WHO USES IT: Brands well known to viewers of site

** VERTICAL BANNER

WHAT IT IS: 120 X 240 pixels, with a link

WHAT IT'S FOR: Branding, sponsorships

WHO USES IT: Advertisers who want a closer affiliation with the site's content (it looks less "ad-like" than a standard banner)

** SKYSCRAPER

WHAT IT IS: 143 x 700 pixel vertical banner, with a link; can expand from a smaller button or banner

WHAT IT'S FOR: Direct response

WHO USES IT: Advertisers who need to explain product information, announce a special offer, etc.

** BILLBOARD

WHAT IT IS: Banners of varying size, with no link

WHAT IT'S FOR: Brand reinforcement

WHO USES IT: Advertisers well known to viewers of the site