Will AI marketing tools take my job? No. And here’s why.
Ever since ChatGPT was launched in November 2022, the artificial intelligence (AI) tool grew to 100 million active users in just two months. It receives over 10 million queries per day and has become the fastest-growing consumer app in history. With its human-like ability to answer questions, respond to prompts, translate, predict responses, and even generate code, it is only natural for marketers to ask whether they will be replaced by a robot anytime soon. Read more
Display Advertising in 2021: Size Matters (Part 2)
Welcome to part 2 of our article about display ad sizes in 2021. In Part 1 we discussed the basics of display advertising and the most popular desktop display ad sizes for this year. If you still haven’t read it yet, you’re missing out on some useful tips and tricks, just saying.
Although there are still some people that use desktop devices more than mobile, mobile web traffic accounts for 52.6 percent of the global web traffic, as oberlo.com shares. Therefore, in this article, we’ll be focusing on the best sizes for mobile display ads in 2021. We’ll be also looking at some key display ads types, so grab a notepad, and let’s get started.
Mobile Ad Size Cheat Sheet
As you probably know, marketers and business owners alike are prioritizing mobile over desktop and always optimize their ads for mobile users first. For the past year, the world gained 93 million new mobile phone users and now we’re looking at an audience of 5.22 billion unique mobile users. As DataReportal shares, that's an increase of 1.8% in comparison to the same period in 2020. When it comes to mobile display ads, one great feature is that they can be shown not only while the user is browsing the web, but also in apps. And although some sizes work great both on desktop and mobile devices (such as the Medium Rectangle), there are specific sizes only for mobile users:
Mobile Leaderboard
This is the most effective and popular size for mobile display ads. Similar to the desktop version, it’s a horizontal stripe, however, on mobile it covers the full width of the screen, being 320x50px. It accounts for 12% of all impressions globally and can be used in apps as well as in the browser. This format is often placed at the bottom of the screen, but it can also be a good top-of-the-screen option. Keep in mind that when using this format you need to make sure that your texts and CTAs are big enough to be readable.
If you want to have more room for creativity, you can opt-in for the Large Mobile Banner instead. Its size is 320x100px, which allows for more visuals or text to be included. It’s not as popular as the Mobile Leaderboard, but it’s still one of the top five most deployed mobile ad sizes. An important note, which we must mention is the fact that currently the Large Mobile Banner can be used only within the Google Display Network, so if you’re using another advertising platform, then you should avoid this format.
Mobile Full Page Flex
The Mobile Full Page Flex format refers to a responsive ad format, which can dynamically adapt to the entire available advertising space while maintaining the same aspect ratio. Therefore, in this case, the size does not matter (yes, yes, we know we said it matters but this format is an exception). That being said, advertisers must make sure that the ratio of their creative is 1:1 (for example 300x300px; 320x320px, 500x500px, etc.) This is an official ad format, defined by IAB as a creative “full-screen ad experience with sight, sound, motion, and interaction capabilities”. This format can be used in two ways: The ad can either run at a specific time set (for example in-app ads while the application is loading), or it can be triggered by users when they click on a CTA of another ad. For example, you can create a mobile leaderboard ad with the following CTAs: “click here for more information” or “swipe up for details”. When the user clicks or swipes, this action will trigger the full page flex ad and it will be displayed on the device’s screen.
Square
This format is a good alternative to rectangular formats. That being said, the square format is not as popular as the others on our list and can prove to be hard to master as it is quite small - 250x250px. That is why you should carefully consider your visuals and text if you decide to use this format.
The Small Square is even a smaller version of the Square with dimensions 200x200px. Keep in mind that if you use this format your ad performance may be restricted due to the limited supply of display ad space for this specific ad size.
Aside from the size of your display ads, you should also consider the creatives with which you’re going to promote your product. What images will you use and what text should you include? Should you use a static picture or a video? Those are important questions that you must answer in order to create a successful ad that is tailored to your campaign goals. To help you out, we’ve decided to list some of the popular display ad types, so you can decide which of them might work best for you.
Display Ads Types
Did you know that the average person is now estimated to encounter between 6,000 to 10,000 ads every single day? This shocking data is shared by ppcprotect.com. They also inform us that back in the 70’s people saw between 500 and 1,600 ads daily. Given this data, it’s not hard to assume that today marketers need to put much more effort into grabbing user’s attention than 50 years ago. And while a lot of factors play a role when it comes to the creation of enticing ads, the ad type is arguably an essential point that you need to think about. Some of the most popular display ad types in 2021 are:
- Static
Static ads are simple banner ads that consist of an image and text. They do not work with additional media such as audio or video. As you already know, static ads come in different sizes and shapes and continue to be used by hundreds of thousands of brands worldwide. They are the easiest to make but don’t come without drawbacks. One limitation of static ads is the fact that they are often ignored by the reader because a static image needs to be really creative to capture users’ attention. Additionally, static ads are more or less one-way communication, as they are less interactive than other ad types.
- Animated
As the name suggests, animated ads usually consist of image/s that move. So for example, an animated display ad could have a static background image with only one or two elements blinking or moving. Additionally, you could create an animated ad, in which all parts of the image perform some kind of movement. Animated ads are much more successful in grabbing user’s attention than static ads because people tend to notice movement with their peripheral vision. So even if a given person is not looking directly at the ad, he/she is going to be constantly reminded of the creative because of its movement, and sooner or later the user’s curiosity will push them into investigating your offer.
- Video
Video ads are another great type of display ads. They are quite similar to animated ads because both types involve moving pictures or objects. In that sense, video ads are great for attracting the attention of your target audience. Not to mention that video is the king when it comes to marketing in 2021, as more and more consumers prefer watching instead of reading. Furthermore, as WordStream shares, viewers retain 95% of a message when they watch it in a video compared to 10% when reading it in text. (We might come up with a quiz to prove that’s not the case for Marception Blog’s readers, so pay attention guys! Just kidding... or are we???)
- Interactive
If you want to create a truly memorable ad, interactive ads are your best choice! Those ads require the user to take a certain action, for example, play a short game (this approach is often seen in mobile app application ads). Additionally, interactive ads could include quizzes, polls, and other lead forms. As HubSpot shares, 73% of businesses agree that combining traditional content marketing tactics with interactive content enhances the retention of their organization’s message.
- Lightbox
Last but not least, lightbox ads can enable you to offer immersive experiences to your target audience. This type of display ad looks just like a regular static ad, however, when the user hovers their mouse over it, the ad expands and takes up a much bigger space of the display. Once the ad has expanded it transforms from a practically static ad to a comprehensive sensory experience for the user. You can add audio, video, animation, or even interactive elements to your lightbox ads. To avoid accidental engagement with the ad, the expansion functionality only works when the user hovers their mouse for two seconds over the banner, as TechCrunch explains. The source also states that lightbox ads grant an engagement that is 6 to 8 times higher than the one of standard click-to-expand ads.
Though we have listed some of the most popular display ad types, we couldn't include all the options available to marketers and advertisers. Furthermore, innovative sizes, formats, and creatives are being introduced to us daily. Therefore, you need to keep up with the advertising trends and perform comprehensive research before you settle on the right ad type and format for your campaign. If you need help with the planning, implementation, and analyses of your display ad campaigns, Markception is always ready to help you. As a digital marketing agency, we are passionate about creating content, running advertising campaigns, and optimizing our clients’ digital performance. Contact us for a free consultation now.
Display Advertising in 2021: Size Мatters (Part 1)
Display advertising has been around for quite some time - 27 years to be exact! That’s right, the story of display ads begins in 1994 when the first banner advertisement was published on the commercial online magazine HotWired (1994–1999). It was a part of the future-predicting “You Will” campaign and it looked like this:
The American telecommunication company AT&T was promoted by a series of ads, which carried the message “You will” and painted a world in which people’s day-to-day life was strongly influenced by the internet and the benefits it offers. Interestingly enough, most of the creatives described our actual reality today. Of course, there were a few inaccuracies, such as the suggestion that payphones will continue to be widely popular and that people could use them for video calls.
While back then banner ads may have been a bit straightforward (and probably should’ve included a photosensitive epilepsy disclaimer warning), now they are not only prettier but also much more popular than before. According to webfx.com the Display Network features more than 2 million websites, targets over 100 countries, and reaches 90% of online consumers.
Basics of Display Ads
As the name suggests display ads are visual advertisements, which usually contain pictures, videos, GIFs, logos, and some text in the form of a slogan, a key campaign message, and/or a CTA. If you want to run display ads to promote your business, then you need to sign up on a platform, which serves as a distributor of your creatives. You probably know many online platforms offer the possibility of display advertising including Google (the most popular one yet), Facebook, Yahoo, mMedia, and others. If you’re wondering which one to choose, check out our article, which compares the two most popular of them - Facebook and Google.
Once you create your ads (according to your chosen platform’s requirements), they will be placed on relevant third-party websites. According to Search Engine Watch, there are three main categories of display ads in terms of their placement.
- Site Placement Advertising: an approach in which the advertiser chooses the websites on which their ad is going to be displayed
- Contextual Advertising: when the platform you work with (Google, for example) places your ads on websites with similar content thus increasing their relevancy. For example, if you advertise kitchen utilities, your ads will be displayed on a website about cooking.
- Remarketing Advertising: in this case, your ads will be displayed to users who have already visited your website. Once they visit other web pages, your ads will be shown to them. This is one reason why marketers love to use cookies because it allows us to segment and target users based on their actions on the web.
So now that we made that clear, it’s time to look at some of the most popular sizes for display ads today.
Popular Display Ads Sizes in 2021
No matter which platform you decide to advertise on, you should first and foremost map out your ad ideas and create great pieces of content to show to the world. Many elements need your attention when designing a good display ad banner. You have to think about the size, the background color (or image), the main product visualization, the headline, the subtext, the CTA, and last but not least, the landing page (where your ads are going to lead to). In this article, we’ll be taking a closer look at the most popular size options for your banner ads. We will examine the essential practices connected to them, which will improve your campaigns in 2021.
There are quite a few options for the size of your banner ads. Additionally, the size also determines the possible positions of your ad on a given page. This goes both for desktop and mobile display ads. There is a simple reason for that. Website owners have the right to choose where on their pages they want to display ads. For example, if you have a blog and you want to monetize it, you can sign up for Google AdSense and select the exact spots on your pages where you think it’ll be most appropriate for ads to show. Let’s say you want ads to be displayed only on the right side of your content, or maybe you think people will be more likely to click on them if they were near the footer section of your blog. It’s important to note that even if you create an amazing banner ad, it's going to be displayed only on the websites with relevant content and on those who have the specific size option available.
Desktop Ad Size Cheat Sheet
According to a survey executed by Match2One, which examines data from 4.8 billion ad impressions on millions of sites, marketers are mostly using 4 main banner sizes for all of their campaigns. Let’s take a look at some of the most popular ad sizes for desktop devices:
Medium Rectangle
The size for medium rectangle banners is 300x250px. Match2One’s survey shows that 40% of the impressions used this size. It is widely used and can be placed both in the top or bottom sections of the screen and inside the article itself. The visibility of this banner is great because it’s big enough to be able to showcase your creatives, but also discrete enough to not be annoying for the users. The medium rectangle is so popular that Google even created a specific set of requirements for this format. Additionally, it works great on mobile devices as well, so you really cannot go wrong with this one.
Leaderboard
The second most common banner used in the display network is the Leaderboard format. According to spiralytics.com, its ad impression share on the GDN (Google Display Network) is 32%. Although it can be displayed at the bottom of a page, the Leaderboard is usually placed in the header section of a webpage and looks like a horizontal stripe, which is 728 px in length and 90 px in height. Keep in mind that banners, which are located in the top part of a website are generally more successful than those shown near the footer section, simply because not everyone will scroll down. As well as with the medium rectangle, you can use both visuals and text with this format. The leaderboard is a part of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB), standardized guidelines on banner sizes, which work on all advertising networks, including but not limited to GDN.
The Large Leaderboard (970x90) and the Billboard (970x250) are very similar to the Leaderboard ad format because they are also horizontal banner ads. However, you can see that they are bigger, which accounts for better visibility and more options for ad creative (larger images, CTA’s, and copies). That being said, they are not as popular amongst advertisers. As Match2One’s survey shows, the Large Leaderboard and the Billboard account for respectively 5% and 1% of the impressions.
Wide Skyscraper
The third most popular size for a display ad in 2021 is the Wide Skyscraper standing at 160x600px. It is usually positioned somewhere in the sidebar of a page and looks like a vertical strip. About 12% of all impressions looked at during Match2One’s survey belonged to this format. Therefore, if you are still unsure of what sizes your display ads should be, consider using this format.
The Half Page is a similar vertical ad size, however, it is much wider than the Wide Skyscraper. It takes up 300x600px of the page and is also used in the sidebar section of websites. The Half page is spacious enough, so you can get creative with your ad design.
Bottom Line
If there is one thing you should remember from this article it is that there are some display ad formats that work better than others. The reason for that lies in the available supply of display ad space for certain sizes - some websites simply do not want to enable certain ad placements and sizes. Therefore, if ever in doubt, you should always create your ads in the most popular ad sizes. For 2021, they are:
- Medium Rectangle - 300×250px
- Mobile Leaderboard - 320×50px (note: we’ll explain more about mobile display ad formats in our next article on the topic, pinky promise)
- Leaderboard Banner - 728×90px
- Wide Skyscraper - 160×600px
The display advertising world is huge. We understand that our list may seem overwhelming for some of you, but we have only talked about less than a third of all available ad formats out there. Additionally, this article only covers the desktop options, so stay tuned for Display Advertising in 2021: Size Matters (Part 2) where we’ll talk about mobile ad sizes and best practices.
In the meantime don’t hesitate to leave a comment or contact us if you need help with your advertising campaigns. Markception can take care of every aspect of your marketing strategy. Let us be a part of your digital journey, get in touch now.
