A wise person (my boss) once told me that when concepting ideas for banner ads, it helps to think of each frame as a mini movie. She went on to say that each “mini movie” needed to engage the audience into wanting to see more. While this task is easier said than done, the logic makes sense – get the viewers to watch at least the beginning of your ad. If it’s interesting enough, maybe they’ll stick around through the credits.
Different things come into play when visualizing how a banner ad will work. How long will each frame last? How many frames will there be? Will one image dissolve into another? Should images even be used? But that’s sort of the beauty of it – anything goes, as long as it meshes with the client’s goals. When we started on banner ads for CareerBuilder.com, we were working with a campaign that was only text. But through the magic of Flash animation and the collaborative minds of the creative team, the static text ads were brought to life and got people clicking. Our banner ads may not have won an academy award, but we definitely drive sales, which feels a lot like getting two thumbs up.
Vicki Treptow, Copywriter
