WARREN, R.I., April 8, 2008 (PRIME NEWSWIRE) -- Serving up ads with the right frequency, adding video to the campaign, and tightly targeting ads are just a few of the latest online ad campaign strategies and tactics contained in the first edition of "MarketingSherpa's 2008 Online Advertising Handbook + Benchmarks." MarketingSherpa surveyed 577 online advertisers to produce the 2008 Online Advertising Handbook + Benchmarks.
Among the highlights of MarketingSherpa's 2008 Online Advertising Handbook + Benchmarks are:
- The best way to increase media efficiency is tighter targeting. Those surveyed stated that the ability to use behavioral and contextual targeting is a key ROI driver and that the context in which an ad is served is just as important as the ad itself.
- Online advertisers are misusing display ads by overemphasizing clicks and de-emphasizing the power of branding. To significantly increase ROI, advertisers need to choose a strategy that will affect ROI, not clicks, and match the right display ad designs to their strategic objectives.
- Video advertising has caught on and is not simply "the next big thing." The addition of video to an ad campaign is having a real impact on the overall effectiveness of online ads.
- Ad placement on the web page is an often missed metric. Heatmaps, provided by Eyetools, show that most people don't see most ads, especially those served below the fold. Media delivery reports don't currently provide information about ad placement relative to the fold.
- The "right" frequency continues to be a major factor in achieving effectiveness. Frequency capping, enabled by ad server technology, is an extremely important consideration. Exploring which frequencies work best against each strategy and tactic makes it possible to get close to the right number and perfect it through testing.
"As we point out in this first edition of our new handbook, the targeting technology that's become available over the past couple years is making it easier to run very effective ad campaigns," said Stefan Tornquist, Research Director for MarketingSherpa Inc. "But we also found through our research that you still need to combine interesting messaging, usable design, intelligently networked digital marketing elements, and data-driven efficient media reach."
MarketingSherpa worked with several partners to produce the Online Advertising Handbook + Benchmarks including:
- Eyetools, who provided heatmaps to show how ad placement is a key variable in brand awareness.
- Unicast, who looked at how rich media increased key brand and interaction measures.
- ManiaTV, who investigated how the use of online video in advertising increases the understanding of marketing messages.
- InsightExpress, who examined essential metrics around branding and online advertising.
MarketingSherpa's 2008 Online Advertising Handbook + Benchmarks can be purchased for $497 by visiting http://www.sherpastore.com/onlinead08.html
About MarketingSherpa
MarketingSherpa (http://www.marketingsherpa.com) is a research firm publishing practical case studies and benchmark guides for its community of marketers and thousands of weekly case study readers. Topics covered include practical how-to and exclusive data and proven tactics in business-to-business marketing, ecommerce marketing, email marketing, search marketing, telemarketing, media relations, landing page design, marketing measurement and online subscription marketing. The firm also operates six annual Summits attended by thousands of marketers. MarketingSherpa, along with MarketingExperiments and InTouch, is part of the MECLABS Group.
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