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Interactive ad formats

As well as the classic 468 by 60 pixel rotating GIF banner ad, which is decreasing in popularity, 

media owners now provide a choice of larger, richer formats which web users are more likely to 

notice. Research has shown that message association and awareness building are much higher 

for  flash-  based ads,  rich-  media ads and  larger-  format rectangles (multipurpose units, MPUs) 

and skyscrapers. Specific ad formats are available within the social networks, for example 

Facebook Engagement Ads, Twitter Promoted Tweets and YouTube Promoted videos.

Other online ad terms you will hear include ‘

interstitials

’ (intermediate adverts before 

another page appears); the more common ‘

overlays

’ which appear above content; and of course 

pop-up windows that are now less widely used because of their intrusion. Online advertisers face 

a constant battle with users who deploy pop-up blockers or less commonly ad-blocking soft-

ware, but they will persist in using  rich-  media formats where they generate the largest response.

Robinson et al. (2007) conducted research on the factors which increased clickthrough 

response to banner ads. The main variables they (and previous studies they reference) 

include are:

● 

Banner size

● 

Message length

● 

Promotional incentive

● 

Animation

● 

Action phrase (commonly referred to as a call to action)

● 

Company brand/logo.