OK, the online media guy is commenting again on creative. Over the last few weeks, we’ve received several rounds of banners from a few of our clients’ “creative” agencies (or agencies of record). These banners were consistently missing applied best practices, inspiring me to offer these tips.
Remember, and I’ve said this many times before, well-planned media will only put your creative in front of your target audience. It won’t get people to do what you want them to do. Only good creative can encourage desired behavior or emotion. It doesn’t matter if what you want the consumer to do is on- or offline. It’s your messaging, offerings, and imagery that get people to do what you want them to do.
If you’re trying to encourage an immediate online conversion, direct is best. Get right to the point and be pragmatic. When we launch different banner concepts online, we always have a group we actually call the pragmatic concepts. Nine times out of 10, they’re the best performers. If you have the best price, lowest rate, a great coupon, free sample, or informative whitepaper or free guide, make that the point of the banner.