Page 287 - Introduction to Electronic Commerce and Social Commerce

9.5 Online Advertising Methods: From E-Mail to SEO and Video Ads 273

Classified ads can be found on special sites (e.g., see clas- need of target customers are being developed, for example,
sified ads at craigslist.org and superpages.com), as well as by Conversant (conversantmedia.com).
on online newspapers, e-markets, and portals. In many cases, Live banners are ads where the content can be created or
posting regular-size classified ads is free, but placing them in modified at the time the ads pop-up instead of being
a larger size, in color, or with some other noticeable features preprogrammed like banner ads. They usually are rich media.
is done for a fee. For examples, see traderonline.com and For details and examples, see en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_
advertising.microsoft.com. banner.

Display Ads Benefits and Limitations of Banner Ads
These are illustrated advertisements that use graphics, logos,
colors, or special designs. These ads are usually not classi- The major benefit of banner ads is that, by clicking on a ban-
fied, but they can be combined. Display ads are popular ner, users are transferred to an advertiser’s site, frequently
offline in billboards, yellow pages, and movies. They are directly to the shopping page of that site. Another advantage
becoming very popular on the Internet as well. All major of using banners is the ability to customize them for indi-
search-based advertising companies (e.g., Google, Yahoo!, vidual surfers or a market segment of surfers. In many cases,
Microsoft) are leveraging their online positions in search customers are forced to see banner ads while waiting for a
advertising into the display ad business. page to load, or before they can get the page they requested
(a strategy called forced advertising). Finally, banners may
Interactive Ads include attention-grabbing rich multimedia.
These ads use online or offline interactive media to interact The major disadvantage of banners is their cost. If a com-
with consumers and to promote products, brands, and services. pany demands a successful marketing campaign, it will need to
This is most commonly performed through the Internet, pay high fees for placing banners on websites with high traffic.
often using video as a delivery medium. However, it seems that viewers have become somewhat
There are several variations in each of these categories. immune to banners and simply ignore them. The click- through
The major methods are presented next. rate has been declining over time. Because of these drawbacks,
it is important to decide where on the screen to place banners
(e.g., right side is better than left side, top is better than bot-
Banners tom). Companies such as QQ.com and Taobao.com in China
have built behavior labs to track eye movements of consumers
A banner is a display that is used for advertising on a Web to understand how screen location and Web page design may
page (words, logos, etc. embedded in the page). A banner ad affect viewer attention. Ad blocking tools are also available to
is frequently linked to an advertiser’s Web page. When users install on a browser to remove all banner ads when a Web page
“click” on the banner, they are transferred to the advertiser’s is accessed. This also reduces the number of click-throughs.
site. A banner must be designed to catch a consumer’s atten-
tion. Banners often include images, and sometimes video Banner Swapping and Banner Exchanges
clips and sound. Banner advertising, including pop-up ban-
ners, is a popular advertising method on the Web. Banner swapping means that company A agrees to display
There are several sizes and types of banners. The sizes, a banner of company B in exchange for company B’s dis-
which are standardized by the Interactive Advertising Bureau playing company A’s banner. This is probably the least
(IAB) (iab.com), are measured in pixels. Random banners expensive form of banner advertising, but it is difficult to
appear randomly, not as a result of some action by the user. arrange. A company must locate a site that will generate a
Companies that want to introduce their new products (e.g., a sufficient amount of relevant traffic. Then, the company must
new movie or CD) or promote their brand use random ban- contact the owner/Webmaster of the site and inquire if the
ners. Static banners stay on a Web page regularly. Finally, company would be interested in a reciprocal banner swap.
pop-up banners appear in a separate window when its affili- Because individual swaps are difficult to arrange, many com-
ated Web page is activated. panies use banner exchanges.
If an advertiser knows something about a visitor, such as Banner exchanges are marketplaces that allow multiple
his/her user profile, or area of interest, the advertiser will try websites to barter space for banners. Such an intermediary
to match a specific banner with that visitor. Obviously, this finds partners for such trades. A multi-company banner
kind of targeted, personalized banner is usually most effec- match may provide a better match, and it will be easier to
tive. Such personalized banners that are tailored to meet the arrange than a two-company swap. For example, company A