It would appear that as online marketers we have one of two options: first, do whatever it takes to separate our messaging from other online content (what if the dancing bear were wearing bright pink sexy bear-kini); and second, disguise our messaging as something that belongs (perhaps the bear should be wearing white clothing and hope to catch the ball from time to time). The first option would be the old school flashing pop-ups while the second would be contextually relevant Google AdSense.
The evolution of display media has lead us to what may very well be the holy grail of online advertising--contextually relevant ads that do more than send traffic to a landing page, they "engage". Videos, widgets, games, and other rich media provide an opportunity for a user to engage with a brand within display media. Naturally, advertisers must determine how valuable engagement is and, more importantly, how it's measured... perhaps its just an excuse, but perhaps it's an awareness marketer's dream.
In a perfect world display media will provide a reliable ROI while generating the incremental interactions and engagement that's become so popular!
Food for thought--consider the following trends:
- Click through rates are declining (banner blindness)
- "Heavy Clickers" distort data
- Conversion rates are volatile and often seasonal
- Spending is up
- Technology continues to aid improvements in targeting
