Commentary

Just an Online Minute... The Question of Size

When it comes to online ads, the new mantra is “it’s not the size that matters, it’s how you use it.” At least that’s what Dynamic Logic is saying about skyscrapers.

Last summer, the industry was bubbling over with excitement over these tall, thin ad things that appeared alongside website content and were rumored to produce incredible results. Now that the initial euphoria has passed, advertisers are hungering for real answers, and Dynamic Logic is saying that bigger formats do not always translate into better effectiveness results.

That really shouldn’t surprise anyone. Moreover, it really shouldn’t surprise anyone that the performance of skyscrapers appears to be driven in large part by the placement of the advertiser's logo within the ad.

What continues to intrigue me is the speed with which online creatives have abandoned the basic teachings of Advertising 101, mainly the concept of “above/below the fold,” but that’s another story.

That said, here’s the scoop: Dynamic Logic is saying that skyscraper units that display the logo at the bottom of the unit - and consequently "below the fold" - performed below the average in both Awareness and Persuasion metrics. The results were stronger for Skyscraper units that showed the logo at the top of the unit, which means visitors do not have to scroll down to see the brand in the advertisement. Awareness increases were above average in this scenario.

The skyscraper unit performed best - above average in both Awareness and Persuasion results - when the brand's logo is displayed at the top AND the bottom of the ad unit. Thus, regardless of how far along the visitor is in reading the content, the advertisement is branded, thus maximizing the time spent with the consumer.

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