Display advertising displayed on top of regular layout such as rich media ads must subside in given amount of time. Squeezing elements into limited screen space results in crowded layouts. Banner ads are notorious for their poor performance. Good isn’t enough—Banner ads must be downright awesome for more than 1 per cent of the viewers to click on them.
Opening page concept in practice, Design by ad agency
In collaboration with our sales department I modified the concept of the ’Opening page’ for their product portfolio.
Demo page (check out the subtle CSS hover-effects)
If you can’t change it, make a feature of it
Journalists may see ads as necessary evil, but younger consumers usually feel more relaxed towards advertising. The are ad-literate, they realize commercials are out there to manipulate them—And They are OK with it. High end magazines realize this and have embraced advertising for years. Readers welcome Cosmo and Vogue for the ads as well as the stories.
Play with an open hand and present ads for what they are—commercial content. When user interface behaves as expected, nobody will mind.
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Opening page Flow chart
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Ad element placement
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Opening page concept in practice, Design by ad agency
Like button will give the campaign points, and winners are recognized with Best Pixels of the Month -award.
…but you still need the creative to run a successful campaign.
Don’t give in to the Dark side
Advertising is tricky. Everybody understands that advertising’s primary objective is to manipulate people’s behavior in to consuming products X and Y. However, people are ad-literate and manipulative behavior will quickly earn you a stigma. An interesting collection of User Interface designs to trick people are demonstrated among the Dark patterns. Don’t give in to the rage–Don’t go on to the Dark Side. Consumers do not care whether you will fill your quota or not, and anxious mindset will only earn you negative results.
