Fanatical, a PC game key retailer, spent an estimated $102 million on display advertising over the last twelve months across the markets Adbeat tracks. It did that with 254 creatives — but the top-spending one, a 320x100 banner, carries five words of copy: the brand name, “SAVE BIG,” and “SHOP NOW.” That single unit absorbed an estimated $15.9 million. ...
Walk outside your home, and you’re bound to see ads everywhere. On billboards, posters, buses, and even subway platforms. You’ve probably bought something after seeing these ads (as have millions of other people). The reason? These ads are effective. They tug at your heartstrings, make you miss something you never had, or convince you that your life will be better once you sign up for that gym membership. But how do brands know these ads will work? By testing them on various groups of people! In other words: ad testing. ...
About one in 13 adults in the US now identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or some other sexual orientation besides heterosexual. Which makes Pride month a massive deal for pretty much every brand. And it’s even more essential for those with younger-skewing audiences, given that almost one in 10 millennials and more than one-fifth of Gen Z adults identify as LGBTQ+. Unsurprisingly, this means Pride has become a battleground for brands looking to target LGBTQ+ consumers — and display ads are one of the most hotly contested warzones. ...
Remember the days when listening to your favorite artist meant buying a record or CD? While vinyl album sales are on a strong upward trajectory, it’s fair to say we’re living in the digital music age. Streaming overtook physical sales and downloads for the first time in 2018, and it’s hard to see that trend reversing any time soon. Which is music to the ears of the streaming industry, with 91 percent of US internet users listening via some kind of streaming service in 2023: ...
Here’s a thought exercise. How many times have recommendations from other people driven your purchase decisions? And how many times have you bought something online without checking the reviews first? As for me, I have done that a sum total of zero times. That’s right. I never buy anything without reading the reviews first. And I’m not alone in this. 9 out of 10 customers read reviews before they buy something online. ...
Download, start now, get started. You see calls to action (CTA) like these all the time, but do you ever stop to think about their impact on your ad campaigns? Oftentimes, CTAs are an afterthought hastily tacked onto the bottom of an ad. Leads know you want them to click the button so it doesn’t matter what it says, right? Well, not quite. CTAs are just as important as the ad copy and need just as much attention. CTAs are supposed to excite leads and get them to click and buy something — not just act as a placeholder. ...
There I was, reading about the Westworld finale on Variety (don’t worry, no spoilers), when I’m offered six more articles to read. They all look pretty interesting, but only two actually have to do with TV, while the others are about fashion and celebrity. So, how did an ad for a Macy’s sale end up in my article about an HBO show about robots? The power of native advertising. ...
Back in the Stone Age before the internet, it was much harder to reach customers. Google AdWords didn’t exist, Native Ads only existed in print newspapers and magazines, and people actually had to (*gasp*) speak to others on the phone or take a money order in the mail. Luckily, someone (maybe Al Gore?) invented the internet. The internet has made lead generation and customer communication easier than ever, at least from a technical standpoint. ...
In October 2000, Google launched a month-long beta with about 350 advertisers for its new Google AdWords advertising platform. The tiny test would go on to become the biggest online advertising platform and lead to over $100 million in revenue per day. While it started simple, Google came out with new add-ons to the original product. One of the biggest was the 2003 release of Google AdSense. This allowed publishers to monetize their traffic with ads served through the Google Display platform. ...
Imagine that you’re a personal trainer and you want to make the most money possible. You’re given the choice between: a) a photo of you training Britney Spears, or b) a degree in nutrition/training from the top university in the United States Which would you choose? Me? I’m taking the picture of Britney Spears any day of the week. Why? Because it’s going to lead to more clients! Most people would rather be trained by the guru trainer to the stars than Joe Schmoe with a bunch of letters after his name. ...