Definition: A rectangular-shaped ad that typically appears at the top of
website pages
Most web advertisers agree that banner ads are an excellent way
to get company names and messages in front of the masses, and
studies have linked web banners to higher brand awareness and
consumers' incentive to buy.
That doesn't mean web banners should be your only online ad
channel. Nor are web banners useful for all businesses. One problem
is that nobody's really sure what type of businesses web banners
are best for. A report by Forrester Research shows advertisers are
baffled by the impact of their banner ads and, in particular, are
dissatisfied with the methods sites use to track responses. "Media
sites and advertisers resoundingly agreed: Ad measurement on the
Internet is a mess," the report states. Reasons cited for messy ad
tracking includes hyped expectations, a lack of agreement on
standards, technology obstacles, and a fragmented ad delivery
process.
Online ad agencies and ad software companies are pushing for
standards to resolve these issues. In fact, a bona fide movement is
underway--specialists are perfecting technology that would measure
ads' effectiveness and count the number of click-throughs (people
who click on a banner ad to reach an advertiser's site). Soon ad
software companies will also be able to track users' demographic
and behavioral characteristics.