Understanding the Different Ad Formats for Online Advertising
When it comes to online advertising, not all ad formats are equal. Each format has unique characteristics, benefits, and limitations. Understanding the different ad formats is essential for maximizing the impact of your digital marketing campaigns.
Let’s explore why it’s important to focus on understanding ad formats and how detailed creative asset guidance from paid media agencies can help.
Why Understanding Ad Formats is Important
A successful media strategy focuses on enhancing user experience, maximizing reach and engagement, and optimizing performance. By choosing the right ad formats and measuring performance metrics, you create a positive experience for your audience, achieve campaign goals, and improve ROI.
3 Ad Format Examples and Their Benefits
1. Display Ads
Display ads, also sometimes called banner ads, appear on websites and mobile apps. These visually appealing ads can incorporate images, text, and even interactive elements to capture user attention.
Display ads can be purchased programmatically through a DSP partner, or on other ad platforms such as Google.
Google offers a unique type of Display ad format called Responsive Display Ads which leverage Google’s AI to generate optimal combinations of assets for different platforms.
Your media agency should be able to identify when and where to use display ads. They should offer performance creative services alongside their ad placements, creating a cycle of data used for further refining creative performance.
Collaborating with your creative team, your media partner should not only highlight sizes and designs that are performing best for your campaign but also identify which ads and ad variables should be expanded or repeated for greater success.
Why Display Ads?
The ad format offers extensive reach and visibility across a diverse range of websites and platforms, allowing brands to extend their presence to a broader audience. The cost-effective placements support targeting and retargeting efforts, laying the groundwork for strong performance tracking, valuable insights, and better outcomes.
Media agencies may recommend display ads for several scenarios including:
- Brand awareness campaigns: display ads excel at casting a wide net
- Product launches or promotions: the visual nature of the ads make them winners for showcasing products or limited-time deals
- Targeting specific audiences: robust targeting options allow paid media teams to tailor message delivery
- Retargeting campaigns: display ads are highly effective at re-engaging users, ultimately motivating them to take action
- Supporting multi-channel campaigns: display ads complement other channels, such as paid search and paid social media campaigns by reinforcing your message across multiple touchpoints.
2. Video Ads
Video ads hold immense popularity due to their ability to convey compelling stories in an engaging manner.
According to Wyzowl’s 2023 Video Marketing report, 89% of consumers say watching a video convinced them to buy a product or a service.
Video ads allow brands to leverage the power of sight, sound, and motion to captivate viewers’ attention.
Video ads are often displayed before, during, or in-between online video content, and can either be purchased programmatically through a DSP partner, or on platforms such as Google (which includes YouTube) or Meta (includes Facebook and Instagram placements).
To maximize video ad formats, your media partner should go beyond planning the best platform or DSP for your business goals, budget, audience, etc. They should also consider how audiences engage with those ads and recommend best practices by screen and device type, channel, audience, and more.
Why Video Ads?
Video ads are highly engaging and memorable, leading to increased brand recall and customer engagement. They offer a dynamic way to convey complex messages and evoke emotional responses, fostering deeper connections with your audience to increase brand recall and ROI.
Like display ads, paid media teams may advise incorporating video ads for brand awareness campaigns and when executing precision targeting/retargeting tactics. Video ads are also effective for campaigns featuring:
- Complex messaging: enhanced storytelling capabilities enable brands to illustrate nuanced messages or narratives in a concise, engaging manner
- Mobile-first strategies: with the lion’s share of video consumption happening on smartphones (nearly 70% of the digital video audience in the United States prefer watching videos on their smartphones), video ads are essential to disrupt the customer’s journey
3. Shoppable Social Media Ads
Shoppable social media ad formats showcase products within social media feeds.
By uploading a product catalog directly to the platform, users can explore and buy without leaving the platform.
This shopping experience enhances convenience and encourages impulse purchases. 33% of marketers report that Instagram achieves the highest ROI when selling products to consumers through the app.
TikTok shopping ads are following close behind, with an estimated 37% of TikTok users in the United States making purchases either through links on the app or directly on the platform.
Why Shoppable Social Media Ads?
This ad format seamlessly integrates with users’ browsing experiences, allowing for a frictionless path to purchase directly from the ad. By reducing the steps between discovery and purchase, shoppable social media ads enhance conversion rates and drive measurable impact for businesses.
In addition to being a natural fit for eCommerce, shoppable social media ads are particularly strong for specific types of campaigns. Depending on your campaign goals, your media partner should be discussing:
- Influencer collaborations: tap into influencer follower bases to drive traffic and sales from your ad campaigns
- Event promotions: the ads generate excitement and drive online or in-store actions
- Holiday and seasonal campaigns: shoppable social media ads capitalize on increased consumer spending during key times of the year to drive sales
Speculating on Ad Specs?
Understanding the different ad formats for online advertising is paramount for anyone aiming to maximize the impact of their digital marketing campaigns.
Need a paid media agency to provide you with data-backed creative guidance to achieve your business goals? Look no further. Contact us today!
Understanding the Different Ad Formats for Online Advertising
When it comes to online advertising, not all ad formats are equal. Each format has unique characteristics, benefits, and limitations. Understanding the different ad formats is essential for maximizing the impact of your digital marketing campaigns.
Let’s explore why it’s important to focus on understanding ad formats and how detailed creative asset guidance from paid media agencies can help.
Why Understanding Ad Formats is Important
A successful media strategy focuses on enhancing user experience, maximizing reach and engagement, and optimizing performance. By choosing the right ad formats and measuring performance metrics, you create a positive experience for your audience, achieve campaign goals, and improve ROI.
3 Ad Format Examples and Their Benefits
1. Display Ads
Display ads, also sometimes called banner ads, appear on websites and mobile apps. These visually appealing ads can incorporate images, text, and even interactive elements to capture user attention.
Display ads can be purchased programmatically through a DSP partner, or on other ad platforms such as Google.
Google offers a unique type of Display ad format called Responsive Display Ads which leverage Google’s AI to generate optimal combinations of assets for different platforms.
Your media agency should be able to identify when and where to use display ads. They should offer performance creative services alongside their ad placements, creating a cycle of data used for further refining creative performance.
Collaborating with your creative team, your media partner should not only highlight sizes and designs that are performing best for your campaign but also identify which ads and ad variables should be expanded or repeated for greater success.
Why Display Ads?
The ad format offers extensive reach and visibility across a diverse range of websites and platforms, allowing brands to extend their presence to a broader audience. The cost-effective placements support targeting and retargeting efforts, laying the groundwork for strong performance tracking, valuable insights, and better outcomes.
Media agencies may recommend display ads for several scenarios including:
- Brand awareness campaigns: display ads excel at casting a wide net
- Product launches or promotions: the visual nature of the ads make them winners for showcasing products or limited-time deals
- Targeting specific audiences: robust targeting options allow paid media teams to tailor message delivery
- Retargeting campaigns: display ads are highly effective at re-engaging users, ultimately motivating them to take action
- Supporting multi-channel campaigns: display ads complement other channels, such as paid search and paid social media campaigns by reinforcing your message across multiple touchpoints
2. Video Ads
Video ads hold immense popularity due to their ability to convey compelling stories in an engaging manner.
According to Wyzowl’s 2023 Video Marketing report, 89% of consumers say watching a video convinced them to buy a product or a service.
Video ads allow brands to leverage the power of sight, sound, and motion to captivate viewers’ attention.
Video ads are often displayed before, during, or in-between online video content, and can either be purchased programmatically through a DSP partner, or on platforms such as Google (which includes YouTube) or Meta (includes Facebook and Instagram placements).
To maximize video ad formats, your media partner should go beyond planning the best platform or DSP for your business goals, budget, audience, etc. They should also consider how audiences engage with those ads and recommend best practices by screen and device type, channel, audience, and more.
Why Video Ads?
Video ads are highly engaging and memorable, leading to increased brand recall and customer engagement. They offer a dynamic way to convey complex messages and evoke emotional responses, fostering deeper connections with your audience to increase brand recall and ROI.
Like display ads, paid media teams may advise incorporating video ads for brand awareness campaigns and when executing precision targeting/retargeting tactics. Video ads are also effective for campaigns featuring:
- Complex messaging: enhanced storytelling capabilities enable brands to illustrate nuanced messages or narratives in a concise, engaging manner
- Mobile-first strategies: with the lion’s share of video consumption happening on smartphones (nearly 70% of the digital video audience in the United States prefer watching videos on their smartphones), video ads are essential to disrupt the customer’s journey
3. Shoppable Social Media Ads
Shoppable social media ad formats showcase products within social media feeds.
By uploading a product catalog directly to the platform, users can explore and buy without leaving the platform.
This shopping experience enhances convenience and encourages impulse purchases. 33% of marketers report that Instagram achieves the highest ROI when selling products to consumers through the app.
TikTok shopping ads are following close behind, with an estimated 37% of TikTok users in the United States making purchases either through links on the app or directly on the platform.
Why Shoppable Social Media Ads?
This ad format seamlessly integrates with users’ browsing experiences, allowing for a frictionless path to purchase directly from the ad. By reducing the steps between discovery and purchase, shoppable social media ads enhance conversion rates and drive measurable impact for businesses.
In addition to being a natural fit for eCommerce, shoppable social media ads are particularly strong for specific types of campaigns. Depending on your campaign goals, your media partner should be discussing:
- Influencer collaborations: tap into influencer follower bases to drive traffic and sales from your ad campaigns
- Event promotions: the ads generate excitement and drive online or in-store actions
- Holiday and seasonal campaigns: shoppable social media ads capitalize on increased consumer spending during key times of the year to drive sales
Speculating on Ad Specs?
Understanding the different ad formats for online advertising is paramount for anyone aiming to maximize the impact of their digital marketing campaigns.
Need a paid media agency to provide you with data-backed creative guidance to achieve your business goals? Look no further. Contact us today!
