Play for Performance
There is a lot being said in the press about the declining effectiveness of online advertising. Recent data presented by eMarketer suggests that click through rates for traditional banners have dropped from .75% to .27% in 2006 alone. This really shouldn’t surprise any of us as banner ads have become like background noise, and are often an interruption to what we really set out to do. When was the last time you were checking the score of last night’s game, and clicked on a banner ad for great rates on car insurance?
The popular recommended solution is better targeting. While there’s no doubt that the closer a marketer can get to his or her consumer, the more likely they are to get a response, but better targeting alone is not enough. In today’s on-demand environment, brands have to give us something of value in exchange for our attention
When brands entertain us, we’ll voluntarily give them our time. How often have you proactively watched an Apple ad online or on your Tivo? But have you ever sought out an ad from one of the other computer manufacturers. Can you even remember any of them? Part of the difference is in the entertainment value that Apple offers its consumers.
The same can be said for effective online marketing. If brands really value their consumers, they have to give them something they want. A good online game, for example, can offer a high level of engagement. Our experience would suggest that click-through rates for banners containing games can run up to 8%. The same placement containing static information results in the kind of response rates lamented above.
Games provide a great break from routine. And with average play time of nearly 11 minutes, that’s a lot of brand exposure. What’s more if the game is good enough, people will voluntarily pass them along to a friend. When was the last time you forwarded a banner ad? Didn’t think so.
Posted on 11.13.07 to Effectiveness. Author: tim. Subscribe to follow comments on this post. No comments yet. Add your thoughts or trackback from your own site.
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