The Art of Digital Marketing

Chapter 4Digital Display Advertising

An Introduction

You know those ads that follow you around the Internet? The ones that somehow know exactly what you have been searching for? Your computer is not psychic—you are simply experiencing remarketing, one of the tools of digital display advertising (DDA).

As a digital marketer, you can create online ads just as you would for an offline campaign. These online ads (or display banners) contain copy, logos, images, maps, and video—anything that will hook users as they browse. Then you can call on certain publishers to pick the most relevant websites, social media channels, and devices for your ads to appear on.

You learned in Chapter 2 that SEO is all about driving traffic to your site. Just as you should optimize your site so that it shows higher in search results, you should also optimize the ads that direct users to it—by including a hyperlinked call to action, for example. Makes sense, right?

Definition

Formal definition of DDA: A form of digital marketing that uses display ads appearing on web pages as a means of communicating relevant commercial messages to a specific audience based on their profiles.

Informal definition of DDA: Your onscreen pickup line!

Process

In the opening sections of this chapter you will be provided with an overview of the DDA industry, the key terminology involved, and the benefits and challenges that face display advertisers. Then we will cover in detail the four key stages of the DDA iterative ...