Digital marketing is full of buzzwords so overused they’ve all but lost their meaning, like “storytelling” and millennials. Yet, the industry is also full of jargon that means something, but has so many different interpretations it can often be difficult to understand.
One of these common misinterpretations is around display advertising and the idea that any and all online marketing is considered display. It’s not. Native ads are sometimes content marketing, and they are sometimes display ads, though display ads can come in various forms. Confused?
So what is a display ad?
Display ads are the boxes on websites that are obviously advertising. They can be along the top of web pages such as the traditional banner ad, or the larger text billboard, they can also be videos. These types of ads appear on distinct sections of the site that are specifically reserved for paid advertising and are aimed at generating a quick conversion.
The wider banner ads generally perform better than their tall, narrow counterparts. According to Google, the most effective display ads are 336Ă—280 or 300Ă—250 pixel rectangles, 300Ă—600 pixel half-page ads, and 728Ă—90 or 320Ă—110 pixel banners.
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For example, Curalate’s ad on ClickZ; is there any doubt in your mind that this is advertising?
Display versus native
That’s what separates traditional display ads from native ads, which are designed to blend in with their surroundings in order to appear more authentic. Both are paid opportunities but, by fitting in seamlessly on the pages on which they’re placed, native advertising is thought to be less disruptive. They’re the preferred format for Yahoo on its digital magazines.
Excellence Resorts on the top left is the ad here, though you may not immediately recognize it as such. Virtually everything about it matches the rest of the content, except for the word “SPONSORED,” which has been placed cleverly – and authentically – in bold, black text above the offer.
Content marketing can be considered native advertising, though it is only display in some forms. For example, branded infographics and videos, when positioned neatly in an article, can fit into the display bracket – specifically when they are paid for by an advertiser.