Speaking of brand, consumer recognition is key. One way to build brand recognition while increasing web site traffic is through the use of online banner advertisements.
Let’s take a look at our same two examples: Starbucks and McDonald’s.
vs.
While both Starbucks and McDonald’s sell food products, their brands are entirely different and these banner advertisements reflect that. Starbucks has a simple, elegant banner advertisement that reminds consumers that its coffee is much more than that; it’s an experience that you “pour your heart into.” And for McDonald’s, it’s 8:34am. No special time for much of anything except an inexpensive and convenient McGriddle.
Whether you’re a Starbucks gal or McDonald’s guy, one thing’s for sure: although banner advertisements are great at building a brand, their effectiveness is decreasing. Banner advertisements were quite popular in the 1990’s, but their novelty actually wore off, their purpose got senseless, and they got in the way of people using the Internet for whatever they needed. Plus, bigger and better things entered the world of emerging media, especially mobile phones, which have become much more intimate to consumers than the world wide web could ever be.
We’ll explore that next week.
Emerging Media and the Market 