Display Ad best practices

Have a clear, singular message

For me, this is the most important aspect of any ad campaign (not just display ads, but any ad). Audience attention span is short, so it has to be very clear what you are offering. Be it a product launch, a promotion or you are retargetting existing customers the message needs to be concise with a very clear purpose. Do not overload and overcomplicate the messaging.

Messaging

Continuing from the above, the other key requirement is to ensure that your ad contains all the key messaging on the final frame. i.e. if you are building animated ads, do not assume your customers will see each frame, so the final value proposition is vital.

This is also the case with a CTA, which needs to be short and meaningful. Tone of voice and it being aligned to your brand values is also important to reinforce who you are and build or reinforce identity.

Design

There will be many factors that influence design, but ultimately it needs to work well across multiple formats and sizes, copy will be short and the logo well positioned. There is always a balance to be had (particularly on the smaller formats) as to how much information you can fit into the frame, especially keeping in mind the fact that ad will run for 15 or 30 seconds and that the user may not see the ad in its entirety, so keep it punchy and powerful.

As with the copy, design consistency to brand guidelines is vital, be it photography, typography, colour palette and logo usage & positioning; all these elements will need to be considered.

Animation

Some ads will run as GIFs and while I wouldn't classify these as animated, it is a simple solution to getting some movement at low cost. It can be as simple as flipping between and image frame and text frame (remember the GIF will need to stop within the permitted runtime of 15 to 30 seconds). In terms of 'proper' animation, this can be achieved either via apps like Adobe Animate or hand-coding. Or you can export motion from After Effects as a png sequence or SVG animation.

The best use case varies depending on skillset, time & budget available, but the key is don't animate for the sake of it. Make sure it plays a part in supporting the story of the ad, doesn't detract from the messaging and ties in with your brand's animation language.

Build

There are a variety of ways to build from such as Adobe's Animate, to browser based apps such as Google Web Designer through to hand-coding and/or using automation tools via GitHub. Each has their pros and cons and depends on a variety of factors but the key two are skillset of whoever is building them and whether the ads are then passed on to local markets or another agency / end-user which will likely dictate how they are built.

In general terms though - and from a best practices perspective - you need to make sure the build will match the signed off design and animation and that there is a solid relationship between design, development, project / account management and the end client.

Sign off

Typically a master ad will be built, which will be used as the template for the rest of the campaign. The master may need to follow a TV ad, or established animation language. It's also vital to ensure brand guidelines are adhered to which will typically dictate typography, logo size and positioning, colour usage etc. Many of these elements will be handled at design phase, but must translate into an accurate build.

It's important to get sign off on the master before the rest of the formats are rolled out. Especially if the ads are being localised for other markets, as the last thing you want to do is update a large number of ads due to not having approval.

Test, refine and improve

If you are running rich media ads, then you will need to go through a QA process which will form part of your testing. You should also check the ads against the storyboards for typos or any inaccuracies.

Since digital ads can be adjusted (unlike print!) make the most of this. Gather metrics, consider A/B testing to see what copy and imgery works better and iterate the ads. Retargetting ads offer a great example of how to refine your messaging for customers who have already engaged with you before.

To wrap up

The way in which display ads are storyboarded, designed and built will vary from agency to agency, in-house team to in-house team and the 'best' solution will have a number of variables, but the above points should provide a solid basis from which to either get started or refine your processes.