Everyone that has ever used the internet knows that on some pages you will find some pictures that lead you to other websites. It’s not hard to figure out those are advertisements.
We know them well. They are on TV, they are on the radio, they are almost everywhere outside. And they are on the internet as well.
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Why on the internet?
That’s because the internet became an essential part of our life, a tool we use to live better and more comfortably.
We now use the web not only to search for information and send messages back and forth, but to do our taxes, pay bills, and for a lot of shopping.
20 years ago it would have been incomprehensible to think you don’t have to visit a bank office to open up a bank account or you don’t have to go to a store to buy a pair of shoes. Now we can do that with just a few clicks, and, in some cases, with just your voice.
However, we still need to find out about products and services before considering buying them. Therefore the businesses selling online decided to have banners shown on websites we usually visit.
How does it work?
The placement of ads on websites by a brand is called display advertising. And display advertising usually comes in to accomplish one or more of the following goals:
1. Attract new customers – Acquisition;
2. Reach new users and create awareness – Brand Awareness;
3. Direct previous customers back a website – Retargeting.
Whichever goal it might have, display advertising is not aimless. When we see an ad on a website, it’s usually there because we are likely to be interested in that product/brand.
It’s no surprise to see a sports shoe ad on a website you entered to read about some exercises or to see a Bank’s ad on a financial advice website.
Also, when you find yourself followed on the internet by an e-commerce website’s ad that’s retargeting. It happens because the online shop on which platform you entered thinks that you might need some time to consider buying a product and it would be good to remind you about their brand.
Although we may all find ads somewhat annoying, at the end of the day we are able to find out about our favorite products and brands only because of them.
Without them, we would still be limited to buying only what the nearby grocery store has or what our friends recommend.
