A few years ago, fellow Likeminder and fellow planner, Noah Brier wrote a great piece for AdAge called How to Make Display Ads Suck Less.  He nailed it.  Unfortunately, not much has changed since his post as context is still largely a lost cause with banner ads.  Worse yet, more of them interrupt me now than they used to, and still few if any of them are engaging or emotionally moving in any sort of way.

A prime example of this is the above BlackBerry PlayBook ad that I unfortunately was forced to experience just a few moments ago.  The ad actually works in Apple's favor.  Seriously.  While I'm reading about Apple's plans for their new headquarters; the new 2.8- million square-foot, forested architectural masterpiece of Steve Jobs – a building that will generate its own power and contain the largest piece of glass ever made… am I really supposed to get excited about a BlackBerry available at Walmart? 

Sheeesh.

Again, everything communicates.  And as Noah pointed out, even ads need to get to know their neighbors.


All that said, I should make the caveat that display advertising, while mostly  sucky… doesn't have to suck.  With a keen understanding of your audience – why they're going to the site on which the ad appears, what they're looking to achieve, and other contextual elements… the format can be highly effective.  Leveraging the large volume of digital junk, that is display, and doing something truly interesting, unique and differentiating could work to your advantage.  What Chic-fil-A achieved with outdoor is very possible with online display.  If only more advertisers understood this.