It’s long been a spirited discussion – does creativity really sell? Just search online – you’ll find opinions dating back to the year the internet was invented (1983 by the way). Well, maybe not that far back but you get the point.
There are a range of other ingredients included in the debates, like reach, targeting, recency, and context. While each one of these has its place, we believe creativity is
the defining factor when it comes to the world of banner advertising. And you don’t even have to take our word for it. Creative quality is the most important factor for driving sales according to
Nielsen’s Five Keys To Advertising Effectiveness report.
In fact, we’d argue that it counts more for banners than it does for multi-million dollar TV campaigns. Big production budgets can mask mediocre creative and dull results. Creative banners, on the other hand, thrive on their merit alone, not on spend.
The client took a leap of faith and we introduced the brand’s most creative work to date – a series of sleek, stylish, and dynamic illustrations unlike anything in the marketplace. The result was tremendous – a 48% jump in conversions for Addison Lee. We know it was the creative shift that made the difference because all other factors remained the same.
Great banner creative can also save clients money. An animation we did for Duracell’s banners was so engaging, it was used for DOOH, social ads, and even cinema.
This all feeds into our mission to help advertisers understand that harnessing the power of creativity in their banners – not just major big-budget campaigns – can make a real difference to the bottom line.
Why have amazing creative in other aspects of advertising and tack on a pale imitation for banners? Be bold in banners!
Abel Buko is insights director at Bannerboy.