Banners have been used a lot, and the performance in terms of CTR(Click-through Rate) and CR (Conversion Rate) may have decreased a lot comparing to the time of internet bubble. However, it’s still an important communication and advertising media vehicle for most internet companies.
there have been so many folks talked about how to design and optimize banners, design, layout, fonts, images and more matter for sure, so do interactive/playful/entertaining/rich media banners. but people, before we focus on the detailed optimization, we need a full picture of the function or communication goal of banner ads~
as a communication tool~ remember you are TALKING to your potential customers, most likely a new customer through the banner. as communication goals here are 4 questions you need to answer:
1. WHO you are?
Brand Identity: Logo/Slogan/Positioning and etc
2. WHAT you do?
- Seasonal Promotions?
- Gift ideas for father’s day?
- Sweepstakes/Contest to win?
- Events to socialize/have fun?
3. WHY does it matter? Benefits: give customer a reason to click
- Save money/time and live better?
- Solutions to my problems/issues?
- Make me feel happy?
- To make friends?
- Entertaining/Sexy/Interactive?
4. what you want me to do NEXT? Call-to-Action
- Learn more…. details?
- Shop and Save?
- Shop today or later?
- Join your event?
With answering aforementioned 4 questions, we may not be able to tell it’s a great banner yet, but it at least does the communication Job.
With banner ad network and exchange platforms, you can easily buy Trillions of impressions. But what works better when evalute by eCPC, Cost/visitor and COS(Cost-Of-Sales)?
Based on my experience, the more targeted, the better performance interms of CTR and CR~ it’s hard to tell if it wins by eCPC and COS as cost varies depending targeting strategies. Say $2 CPM CTR 0.2% won’t beat $.5 CPC banners with CRT 0.1% in terms of eCPC or cost per visitor. Similar calculation for COS.
As summarized below, we may consider following strategies for Ad network display ads advertising. Test and verify, and you’ll find the best strategy for your business.
- Re-Targeting
- Keyword Targeting
- Channel targeting
- Content Targeting
- Demographic Targeting
- Geographic Targeting
- Run-of-Network(RON)
As shown in the image, the performance(CTR/CR) decrease while more reach(impressions)available~ and usually eCPM plunge~
Of course, most ad networks and some sites are using a mix of above targeting strategies. e.g you can do Geo, Demo, Content/Keyword targeting on Facebook Ad platform~ while I was not able to target countries outside USA when working on Myspace system( of course the dynamic ad building tool is a good one~); and in Google Display network, you may use keyword targeting, or managed placements targeting, which actually based on Channels or categories. of course Google Display network with the help of DoublClick, you can do retargeting as well, you may check source codes of overstock.com pages, and you’ll see how google and DoubleClick work together on Re-Targeting~ to be honest, not a big fan~ I’ll talk about retargeting in details in another post.
Back to the subject~ what strategies to use, depending on what stage our business is at, and what your marketing goals~ eyeballs, awareness, new visitors, sales-driven? e.g if you are so focused on new visitors or say new quality visitors, you may need to consider new visitor percentage, Cost per visitor, New visitor CR~ or like what I’m going to talk in another post, how to acquire new visitors and then turn them into new buyers through the integration different banner strategies.
1. Strategic View
2. Knowledge and Skills
- Positioning/Segment/Branding
- Marketing Research
- Marketing Vehicles
- Direct Response Advertising
- Aesthetic/Copy Writing
- Measurement and Analytics
3.Creative and imagination
Successful Brands Do a Good Job of Satisfying People’s 10 Basic Desires
by Brian Martin
Published: February 03, 2010
Brands spend more than $450 billion each year to influence us. They wouldn’t spend that kind of money unless they knew something we didn’t know.
The most-successful brands don’t focus on what we need; they focus on what we want. We need a credit card; we want an American Express Black card. We need a cellphone; we want the yet-to-be-released iPhone 4G.
Fortunately for brands, when it comes to identifying what people want, we aren’t particularly complex. The human mind seeks to satisfy 10 primary wants. Direct your actions toward meeting as many as possible, and your brand will grow exponentially.
So what do people want, exactly?
1. To feel safe and secure.
This is reinforced through both the physical structure of the brain and our physical environment, making it one of the strongest motivating forces in our lives. The amygdale is an area of the brain whose primary purpose is to protect us. Whenever we sense fear or danger, or that things are not safe or secure, it fires. This works in conjunction with our long-term memory, which continuously references and longs for the safety and security we received as children. When Allstate tells us we’re in good hands with them, it appeals to this desire for safety and security. Who else? Volvo, OnStar, ADP, Geico, Johnson & Johnson.
2. To feel comfortable.
We all want to feel comfortable. We want to feel good, relaxed, we want it to be easy. Our brains are constantly asking, if I do this, how will I feel? We are attracted to what makes us feel good, and this is often what is most comfortable and easy — brands such as Cracker Barrel, Rockport, Godiva and Dole (what’s easier than bagged lettuce?).
3. To be cared for and connected to others.
It is human nature to want to feel that someone cares for us, that we have friends and that people enjoy our company. Humans are genetically predisposed to want to be together and to be connected. It is one of our evolutionary traits. And by observing, interacting and engaging with others, our mirror neurons allow us to learn from one another and feel what others are feeling. Think about recent communication campaigns from Olive Garden, Budweiser, Pizza Hut and Mitsubishi’s Eclipse. Further, this is one of the key wants social networks such as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace meet.
4. To be desired by others.
Some believe that all human motivation comes down to wanting to be desired by others. Freud popularized this concept pitting the id against the superego and ego. And even though brands have been targeting this want since the beginning — and people are aware of brands’ efforts in this area — it has not lost any of its effectiveness. Axe can’t make their message to guys any clearer: use our products and you’ll be irresistible. And how about Michelob Ultra, Viagra, Cadillac, Old Spice and Victoria’s Secret?
5. To be free to do what we want.
The desire to be free has been a guiding principal of humankind for the past 200,000 years. Throughout history, societies have banded together to fight for their freedom, from early civilizations in Greece, through the dark ages and Renaissance, the French and American Revolutions, and the abolition of slavery and both world wars. The desire to be free is such a dominant human want that, time after time, we have given our lives to satisfy it. Financial brands such as Fidelity, Citi and Mastercard were built by focusing on this want, as were brands such as Harley-Davidson, Southwest, Nutrisystem and even Norwegian Cruise Lines.
6. To grow and become more.
Humans, unlike animals, do not come programmed with the skills we need. We begin as blank slates, yet within the first five years of our lives, we learn to perform many of the skills we will use throughout our lifetime. But then what happens? Is there ever another five-year period where we grow as much? Most would say no, and yet our brains are conditioned from childhood to grow and learn. Because of this, our mind is constantly striving to satisfy the function it has been conditioned to perform: to grow and become more. When you think of Monster, Kindle, Bally and Kaplan, don’t they all brilliantly leverage this want to their advantage?
7. To serve others and give back.
More than 60 million people performed more than 8 billion hours of service last year. Why? As children we are fully dependent on our parents. Those early memories of our mothers and fathers serving our every need, unselfishly giving to protect, care and nurture, are deeply ingrained in our minds and condition us to want to serve others and give back. Therefore, we tend to feel good when we are making others feel good, unselfishly focusing on others. This want competes against many of our other more self-focused wants, causing an unsettling feeling when we too frequently focus on ourselves. What comes to mind when you think about Prius, Livestrong, Timberland, Newman’s Own, Make-a-Wish Foundation and Susan G. Komen for the Cure?
8. To be surprised and excited.
The amount of stimuli that our senses can process throughout the course of a day is remarkable. While our perceptual register filters the vast majority of these stimuli, what almost always gets through is what surprises and excites us. Stimuli that could potentially cause ecstasy or anxiety are the first things to grab our attention — Red Bull, Las Vegas tourism, Disney, De Beers.
9. To believe there is a higher purpose.
Most people identify with a particular religion, believe in a god in some form and believe that when we die, there is something more. We deeply want to believe there is a higher purpose. There is not a single more important belief that has such universal acceptance yet completely lacks any form of scientific evidence. But because we so deeply want to believe, anything that can possibly support this belief is powerfully motivating. When the Marines show us a wall of soldiers standing guard over our country and ask us if we have what it takes to be among the few and the proud, they are offering us a higher purpose.
10. To feel that they matter.
This is humankind’s greatest want — that they matter. That they are worthy of attention, affection and love. It is an evolutionary trait. Released in large amounts during labor, oxytocin, a neurotransmitter, bonds the mother to a child, making it nearly impossible not to want to care for the newborn. Infants who do not receive this attention can succumb to failure-to-thrive syndrome, causing premature death. So the fact that we matter is essential to our survival. We have been conditioned from birth to believe that we matter. But as we get older, the oxytocin wears off and we feel less and less that we matter. We then spend the rest of our lives trying to get back this feeling that we once felt in such abundance, and brands such as American Express, Lexus, Rolex and Starbucks help us remember that we matter.
comparing to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs.
Maslow Hierachy of Needs
Per Adage.com, Brands From Martha Stewart to Salon Are Offering Online Shopping Areas That Present New Ad Inventory. As a retailer or manufacturer, we may need to take advantage of this trend by partnering with such big name in media market.
This has to be a win-win program for Media, media consumers and retailer/manufacturers to make this happen.
- To show up as a “Tab” or channel as part of media site, or just products listed in its existing channel, a flat fee for “Building” this store could be charged; and commision on each order could need to be paid to media.
- And for media consumers and your potential customers,Media site may ask for some cashback/rewards for their print subscribers, as part of their loyalt program.
- For retailers/manufacturer, the return may be obvious. Sales, new customers acquired that fit your targeting strategy, and sales to people who are not purely coupon-seekers and may come back and shop again.
Not saying to ditch your current affiliate partners, but a new way to integrate your Short-term performance and long term goals~ Affiliate program can be a part of your Branding strategy!
People, welcome to Aaron’s marketing paradise-English Edition. Knowledge speaks, wisdom listens! I’m going to share my thoughts and experience on Branding, Advertising and Promotions!
