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Display advertising has come a very long way since it was seen as the online equivalent of a print ad. But not everybody has moved with the times.
In the past few years, I’ve seen many display advertising plans for my clients, and they’re not cheap.
Your brand will be on some very popular and respected websites. That&#8217;s great.
It looks good for your brand to be there. It looks great internally that you’ve secured these placements. Your brand, product or campaign will be out there with one million eyeballs on it.
It&#8217;s sort of like this, except you&#8217;re on a great website:<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5390" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/billboard-advertisement-1.jpg" alt="" width="494" height="363" />
Everyone knows about you. Job done.
But&#8230;
Then it doesn’t convert.
And you don’t get a report that’s in any way useful or insightful.
So what happened?
The plan was lazy. In fact, it wasn&#8217;t a plan. It was just an outline of who you&#8217;re going to spend your money with and how many times your ad will be shown.
Your agency did what was promised. They managed to “deliver 1 million impressions to all online readership at the lowest CPM possible.” And to be fair, perhaps you hadn&#8217;t asked for more than that.
There was no strategy.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Your money has been spent poorly</h3>
When your campaign didn&#8217;t have the desired impact, your response might have been “But who were these readers and what’s a low CPM? Wait, you never even asked me exactly who we were trying to reach!”
But it’s all hindsight. Your money has been spent, and spent poorly.
To put this in perspective, let’s remind ourselves of some facts. Click-through rates for display advertising are relatively low. Most users don’t think they are relevant. Display ads are more ignored than TV, radio and newspaper ads. Many users don’t trust display ads.
So to put it simply, you need: engaging creative, audience relevance, impact, and trust.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Knowing your audiences</h3>
A good display advertising plan is not enough, you need a strong display advertising strategy. It&#8217;s about knowing your audiences; where they are, what they are doing, what they’re interested in, at what stage of the cycle they are in, what life events are affecting them, and much more. Through knowing this, you can create relevancy.
By looking at your own business and customer base, you can create profiles. And research helps too.
Then, by knowing who you are targeting you can produce creative that’s engaging. You can show creative that speaks to them.
You will now also know where their playground is. If it’s Facebook, Twitter… then video may be a good choice because short, succinct, relevant and engaging video can be very powerful if targeted to the right people. And on Facebook and Twitter, it’s not hard to find the right people.
Segmenting your audiences is not a far cry from psychographic segmentation, as used for election campaigns.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5399" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/pyschographic-segmentation.png" alt="" width="698" height="400" />
When you do find the right people, you will need to know your Goals. What, exactly, do you want users to do when they get to your website? It may sound simple, but tracking even the smallest of engagements can be beneficial.
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Be better equipped to ask the right questions</h3>
Know your website. Is it fit for purpose? Where will they first land, and is the journey to conversion up to scratch? This is hopefully a conversation that you’ve had well before you’ve even considered paying for display advertising.
If you want broad impact, like placements on a major newspaper website for example, then that serves its purpose. But you need to be better equipped to ask the right questions before agreeing your budget, and even your campaign dates:
<ul>
<li class="p1">Who is most likely to be on that website on those dates?</li>
<li class="p1">Within the ABC1 18+ audience, have they done further research into how engaged they are by site section, how more likely they are to be engaged by advertising by site section, therefore affording you more value?</li>
<li class="p1">Is there anything happening offline that may drive more visitors to that website on those dates, so that you might expect extra visibility and value for your investment?</li>
</ul>
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">&#8220;Won&#8217;t that just annoy people?&#8221;</h3>
I’d hate to not give retargeting a mention here. It’s a very powerful support to any campaign.
If you’re spending this money and sending users to your website, then you should be increasing the size of your retargeting audiences and lists with relevant people.
Retargeting is often referred to in negative ways. For example “Oh, it’s those ads that follow me around…” or “Won’t that just annoy people..?”
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-5392" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/retargeting-ads.png" alt="" width="550" height="395" />
But if done right and creatively, this is still a highly effective technique that can provide ancillary revenue, particularly if your creative is consistent with your campaign.
It’s not just a matter of placing a tag on your website and following people around with ads. I’ll admit that if done that way, it could be just plain annoying. There’s a strategy needed here.
Firstly, segment your audiences by how they have interacted with your website, either throughout the year or while in campaign.
<ul class="ul1">
<li class="li1">If someone has only viewed the home page, then serve them ads displaying a rotation of the different products or services that you offer.</li>
<li class="li1">If someone has viewed a specific service or product, then remarket them with ads specific to that.</li>
<li class="li1">If they’ve added a particular product to their cart then show them this product &#8211; and if you can fulfill it, you could even offer a discount on that product if they return to purchase.</li>
</ul>
All of this depends on one core thing &#8211; you need to know when a user has converted. Without this, you’re serving them ads for a service they’ve already engaged with you for.
And very importantly, you may be serving them an ad offering a discount on a product that they’ve already bought!
<h2 class="graf graf--h3">Remarketing and cross-selling go hand-in-hand</h3>
But the journey doesn’t end when someone has purchased.
So, you’re Carphone Warehouse. Consider someone who has purchased the latest mobile phone from you &#8211; perhaps they may also consider complementary add-ons such as wireless charging pads, a cube speaker, headphones… or even broadband. Remarketing and cross-selling go hand-in-hand.
Even at that, your journey is still not over. If you can tie this into a user’s account data and their upgrade eligibility, then you may be able to eventually sell them a new mobile phone.
Another common myth is that you can only retarget users who have clicked on your Google AdWords ads. Not true &#8211; you can remarket anyone who has visited your website.
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter wp-image-5384 size-large" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/retargeting-1024x697.png" alt="" width="1024" height="697" />
Lastly, remember your custom audiences. Create a matrix of those users who have visited one page or site section but NOT another.
For example in the B2B space, you may have website visitors who have read all about what you do, they may have even looked at your pricing. These are keen potential customers. So the next time you have a Webinar, use retargeting to let them know about it!
See? We told you it’s come a long way. So, the next time you see a display advertising plan, read this again. You may notice a few gaps.
<a href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/contact/">Get in touch</a> if you’d like to see how we can help create an engaging campaign for you.

We Need to Talk About Strategic Display Advertising

I’ve written before about our capabilities in <a href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/blog/doubleclick-qa-certification/">display advertising</a> (and sung my own praises in that respect), so I thought it was high time I put my money where my mouth is and showed you some examples of what we can do with your campaigns online.
I use many tools here to create display ads, the chosen one is dictated by the particular campaign. The Media Agency will often request formats to be built for certain platforms, i.e. Double-click, Sizmek, Celtra etc., which in turn will reflect the chosen tool. For standard banners, we have more freedom to choose how we build the ad, and we’ll choose the best tool based on the creative.
There are a range of HTML5 authoring tools available and they all have their pros and cons. Here, I’ll go through some of the tools that we commonly use. If you have an ad-blocker enabled, you won&#8217;t be able to see the examples below, so please disable any ad blockers temporarily to see what we can do!
<h3 class="graf--h3" style="text-align: left;">1. Adobe Edge Animate CC</h3>
In 2011, Adobe announced the release of Edge Animate CC as a new authoring tool for HTML5 content that would replace Flash as it’s online animation tool. They’ve since taken a U-turn, and as of November 2015, Edge is no longer actively developed, in favour of Animate CC, (the new name for Flash). I’m still holding onto this app though. Why? It’s simple and clean.
The biggest advantage for me is the handling of images. Images are much more easily replaced and compressed in Adobe Edge than in Animate CC.
For banners with relatively simple animation, this is where I head to. Adobe Edge banners can be configured to work for Standard Banners and Double-click Rich Media display ads. Loading external libraries is simple, so added levels of complexity in animation and functionality can be achieved.
<iframe loading="lazy" style="width: 300px; height: 250px; margin: 40px auto; display: block;" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/sample_banners/edge/edge_300x250.html" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<h3 class="graf--h3" style="text-align: left;">2. Adobe Animate CC</h3>
Animate CC — The snazzy new name for Flash. Flash has had the ability to export animations as HTML canvas packages for a while now, and Adobe are now really pushing Animate as an ad authoring tool for HTML5. Designers who are familiar with creating Flash banners can now also create HTML5 banners in almost exactly the same way as before.
Animate CC will generate a HTML file where your clickTag or Rich Media code can be inserted. Personally, I’ve set up Animate Templates, (I’ve done the same for Edge), so that I can quickly set up a banner and crack on. As anyone who works in Digital Advertising knows, time is one of the biggest enemies in production, so even small time-saving tips like this are a big help in the long run.
I’m turning to Animate CC more and more these days, particularly for jobs that require complex masking, which Edge can’t manage easily, or for a big suite of display ads that contain common vector elements, as making updates across a large suite is quicker in Animate than in Edge.
See an example here of a Homepage Takeover (HPTO) for RTE, built in Adobe Animate CC for the Double-click platform: <a href="https://www.google.com/doubleclick/studio/externalpreview/#/tNcuoCWcTZ67dpopbxyBhQ">Click here to view the sample HPTO</a>.
<h3 class="graf--h3" style="text-align: left;">3. Google Web Designer</h3>
GWD is Googles free HTML authoring tool. It’s free and is highly integrated with Double-click and DCM. In-built templates allow you to quickly set up standard and rich media display ads quickly, be they for desktop or mobile.
It’s not perfect though, the animation capabilities are quite basic, and you can’t copy/paste elements or animations between documents, In the words of Joni Mitchell: “something you don’t know you’ve got till it’s gone”. This particular restraint is frustrating when you’re creating a suite of banners from the same creative.
Being a Google Product though, you do get to take advantage of some nifty in-built components, such as image carousels, and Street View. See example below where you can swipe through a gallery, or view the studio on Street View.
My main issues with GWD is the interface. It’s clunky and can be a little buggy. It’s not as intuitive as the higher quality equivalents from Adobe, but then again it’s free, compared to the monthly charge of €50 +VAT for the Adobe Creative suite license you need to access Edge and Animate CC. However, although GWD has some nice in-built features, as a professional ad authoring tool, it’s just not there (yet).
<iframe loading="lazy" style="width: 300px; height: 250px;" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/sample_banners/gwd/gwd_300x250/index.html" width="300" height="250" frameborder="0"></iframe>
<h2 class="graf--h3" style="text-align: left;">4. Celtra Ad Builder</h2>
I have a lot of love for Celtra &#8211; and not just because they sent me a box of chocolates last Christmas. I believe advertisers aren’t utilising this ad creation platform enough or to it&#8217;s fullest extent, particularly for mobile display ads. Their AdCreator interface is great and easy to learn for beginners.
Support is impeccable also, and they’re always willing to help when we need to push the AdCreator outside of bounds for bespoke campaigns. Creative agency accounts are free to boot. What&#8217;s not to love?
<a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://maddog-ie.celtra.com/preview/5fc7b65d#deviceType=Phone&amp;rp.foldPosition=above" data-href="http://maddog-ie.celtra.com/preview/5fc7b65d#deviceType=Phone&amp;rp.foldPosition=above">Here’s a quick example using the “Wipeable” component.</a>
Interestingly, Celtra have had this wipeable functionality available for a while now, while Double-click offers it in Beta mode, making it available only to Studio Certified developers.
Celtra makes insertion of image galleries, puzzles, store locators, maps, etc. a breeze, and is well worth considering for your next display ad campaign.
<h2 class="graf--h3" style="text-align: left;">5. Sizmek Ad Builder</h2>
Sizmek has been in the game for as long as I can remember, and they have a lot to offer. While I feel that the interface could be streamlined, and the UI needs to be looked at for the platform, support is excellent, and they offer a wide range of formats to develop on.
Their HTML5 ad builder is good, and documentation is thorough. Here’s a quick Rich Expandable banner I created using their ad builder utilising the video and tweet components: <a class="markup--anchor markup--p-anchor" href="http://platform.mediamind.com/Eyeblaster.Preview.Web/Default.aspx?previewID=j6bipb2GYFT4RknDhGyh0N4KIgyR4zz99DhHwKgvr4RXtts7wvb20g%3D%3D&amp;AdID=37604216&amp;lang=en-US" data-href="http://platform.mediamind.com/Eyeblaster.Preview.Web/Default.aspx?previewID=j6bipb2GYFT4RknDhGyh0N4KIgyR4zz99DhHwKgvr4RXtts7wvb20g%3D%3D&amp;AdID=37604216&amp;lang=en-US">Click here to view the demo</a>.
I&#8217;ve just become Sizmek Certified in Creative Basic, which covers the basics of HTMl5 banners, rich media, video advertising (VPAID and VAST) and setting up audience profiles and retargeting campaigns. 
<img loading="lazy" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-2222" src="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/sizmek_cert.jpg" alt="sizmek_cert" width="469" height="305" />
This is by no means a comprehensive list of authoring tools for HTML5 banners, or even a list of the only ones we use, but rather the ones that we use most frequently. I have no doubt this list will change and evolve over the next year or two as the industry changes and adapts to better incorporate HTML5 and mobile display adverts. By this time next year it&#8217;s very possible that we will have moved on to a completely different set of software for display ad production.
If you have an upcoming display advertising campaign that you&#8217;d like to discuss, please do <a href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/contact/">get in touch</a>.

Display Advertising and Creative Tools

Now that Chrome’s long talked about auto-pausing of Flash ads has begun, (since September 1st), we really are noticing clients taking HTML5 more seriously than ever. Due to our expertise in HTML5 banner ads, we’ve been very busy over the last couple of months on some high end HTML5 campaigns. From a full HTML5 takeover experience, to a single suite of 160 rich media banners I’ve personally begun to talk about banners in my sleep!
Display advertising is always fast-paced with tight deadlines, but with the volume of banners we’re delivering to our clients at the moment, I needed to start thinking about how I could improve the process, and critically for our clients, speed up the process.
One thing that has always been a bit if an unknown is the DoubleClick QA process. DoubleClick provide a Quality Analysis (QA) service for rich media banners which we’ve happily been using for years. All rich media banners run through Google’s DoubleClick platform need to go through a stringent QA process by a QA certified authority. The drawback of this is that you must allow 24-48 hours for the QA process to be completed, and if for any reason the banners fail QA or a change is made after they have gone through, the QA process will need to be restarted.
Needless to say this can sometimes cause a delay of days, which just doesn’t fly in cases where we’ve been given very short turn around times. With Flash banners, the QA process was more straightforward, in that Flash is a self contained entity and isn’t affected by different browsers and browser versions as HTML5 is. So QA for a HTML5 banner will take much longer than for an equivalent Flash creative.
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And so we come to <a href="http://www.richmediagallery.com/tools/certified-users#certifiedUser:5227">my latest DoubleClick certification badge</a>, the QA Certification Badge. This simply means that we are now in a position to QA our own banners. We of course follow the same strict QA processes that DoubleClick do, but we can manage the process ourselves if requested, and can save hours if not days in getting a creative from design to the media agency. A bonus for everybody.
The advantages really came into play recently when a client requested a small text change to a suite of banners, and we were able to make the change and push through QA within a couple of hours as opposed to a couple of days if we were relying on third party QA.
We pride ourselves on the quality and speed of our display advertising delivery, and with this new certification, we’re taking that offering to a whole new level. Please feel free to <a href="https://friprod2022bak.wpengine.com/contact/">get in touch</a> if you’d like to see how we can deliver your display advertising more effectively than ever.
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Display

We Need to Talk About Strategic Display Advertising

Display Advertising and Creative Tools

Doubleclick QA certification