Contagious on Display Advertising

I was pretty surprised to read this article in Contagious about Display Advertising. Chris Kempt-Salt, MD and founder of Kempt, talks about the future of display advertising and how he sees the market changing.

Chris states that "display advertising online is doomed. Users don’t notice it, click-through rates are poor and I hear that even advertisers are wising up and spends are falling fast."

I understand that Chris is coming from a UK point of view but I don't see there being very much of a difference between the UK and Ireland, and I think he's completely wrong. While he does go on to clarify his position, and says that it's all a case of there being too much advertising online, I still find myself coming back to his statement that clickthrough rates are poor and spends are falling. I would say nothing is further from the truth. On at least 4 of the last 5 advertising campaigns I've worked on, the CTRs have not only exceeded industry standards but have done so by 350% to 500%. I see CTRs going up, I see conversions increasing, and I see spends growing. Display advertising isn't just alive, but it's well and truely kicking.

One thing that I do agree with Chris on is his analysis of display advertising density. Chris takes the example of FHM.com and how display advertising features on a typical page. On a typical page there could be three different ad positions: banner, skyscraper and an MPU sitting around a 300 to 400 word article. This translates to the following:

• Above the fold on a 1024x768 screen, the content takes up 195930 pixels while the ad positions take up 143340 pixels
• That equals 42% of the combined area being used for ads
• Consider that TV advertising in the UK is restricted to seven minutes of advertising per hour (11%)
• In the US, television uses 27% of airtime for advertising

Those are crazy stats. 42% is a huge amount of space. However, I don't think that it's correct to compare online display advertising to tv. They're not the same, at all. If instead you consider press advertising, the figures are an awful lot more similar. I just picked up a glossy film magazine and at least 35%/40% of the entire thing is advertising.

So what does it all mean?

My experience is that display advertising is not dead or dying, and as for the amount of space used - I don't have a majot issue at all. The death of online display ads will only come through a lack of creativity and innovation from advertisers. Push boundries, use AR, incorporate games and interactive engagements, or simply create stunning visuals. Advertising is built on innovation and creativity, when they die, advertising will die.

Live Display Ads

A really interesting advertising campaign from SOL in Norway. Essentially copywriters monitor site content within a live environment and create comments and illustrations in real time. To give the whole thing a personal touch, everything is presented in a handwritten style, copy and drawings.



Thanks to Claire for passing this on.

Numa Numa on 'American Idle'

Gary Brolsma decided to give 'American Idle' a go!

Interactive Display Ads

Spotted these two ads from Burger King advertising thei new late night opening. Fun and engaging for a fastfood chain. Worth a look.

Augmented Reality: Shopping for Glasses

It would seem that the new buzz tool in town is Augmented Reality. Yesterday we had a great mobile shooter game, last week we had the music video and the week before the Papa John's Camero AR experience. So what next? Well yesterday evening I spotted this cool AR app from the guys at Glasses Direct.

This is also extremely practical (as demonstrated by several people in the office who immediately emailed around themselves in stylish new frames!).

Basically, Glasses Direct, a company who sell prescription glasses online, have launched an augmented reality app that is designed to help users choose the right pair of glasses. By accessing their Glasses Direct Video Mirror, users use their webcam to watch a live video of themselves wearing any of the available glasses on the site. Nifty! So in full 3D you can see how the glasses suit you without having to get up from your pc.

Using facial recognition software, the app places a virtual pair of glasses on your face. Then you can move your head around and see the glasses from every angle. You can also use their app to post your picture to Facebook to get friends' opinions on your new frames.

The app was created by FittingBox.