Battle of the Banners: HTML5 vs Static Banners Ads

As the world of technology takes off to new heights, online advertising is becoming increasingly competitive and diverse. Today, we take you through the difference between HTML5 & static banner advertising.

Banner ads have been around since the internet’s early days, and static ads were in line with the online speeds the tech could handle. With modern tech like 5G and faster internet speeds, animated display ads bring banners into the 21st century.
So, which banner is best? Depending on your goal, both static and HTML5 could be right for you. You need to think about three things:

1. Campaign objective – what do you want to achieve? Are you looking for brand awareness or performance advertising?

2. Message – What is the message you want to convey?

3. Budget – How much do you want to spend on your ad campaign?

Why use a static banner ad?

Static, sometimes known as image ads, offer the chance to get a quick and simple message across, which can fit your objective if it’s a clear and concise one. They also allow you to do this without taking your whole budget.

Displaying just one image, their simplicity and lack of animation keep costs low as less time is needed to create them.

Animation is not always the answer. Depending on the placement of the ad, a user might only catch the end of the animation as they scroll down to it. If you have a capturing image and simple message, then a static ad could work a treat in prepping for this problem.

If you’ve created several banners, it may be worth trying out different configurations to see which one performs best. This will depend on factors like the layout, colours and message.

Turning your static ads into an image gallery or collage can also help keep costs down while giving you more creative freedom.

Why use an HTML5 animated banner ad?

HTML banner ads offer a more engaging user experience to display sound and motion. As they’re animated, they usually prevent people from scrolling past the advert without stopping – meaning that your message is seen by a higher number of viewers.

As we all know, it takes time and resources to animate an advert and achieve high levels, but you pay for what you get. This type of ad also allows the advertiser to create an interactive experience with the user – changing images, adding video clips and sound.

Static worked before, so why should I now choose an HTML5 animated ad? A significant drawback to static banners is their single frame giving limited options to let you get creative. As attention spans shrink, this creativity is crucial.

HTML code has overtaken the previous GIF and Flash formats to give even more fantastic options for your creativity through animation, images, and more. This step-up provides native support in all browsers, faster loading, and smoother animation.

This harmony makes for an overall improved user experience that seems more natural and grabs user attention in those vital first few seconds.

HTML5 banners also allow the advertiser to track their success. Data can be collected through tools such as Google Analytics to help understand what works and what doesn’t, resulting in more informed decisions on future campaigns.

The battle between HTML5 vs static banner ads is still raging as technology advances, and we become more creative with our online ad strategies. Using a bit of both will ensure you get the best results.

Top 5 benefits to HTML5 include:

1. Eye-Catching
2. Informative
3. Interactive
4. Multi-Device
5. Easy Optimisation

Eye-Catching

As mentioned, a great campaign creative is now even more key in keeping up to 70% of your audience in the opening seconds.
With the option for animation, movement and colours combine to draw the eye to the ad natively. Movement in itself increases the chance of passing the ‘blink test’, which in advertising looks at how effective something is at catching the audience’s attention.

Informative

Where static ads are limited by size, they tend to cram in much information.

Instead, HTML5 ads utilise many frames, letting you creatively place more information with changing fonts, sizes, colours, and animations.

Interactive

Animation brings a new opportunity for interaction, as HTML5 ads improve click-through and allow users to use the ad almost as a mini web page.
For example, by clicking with arrows that choose between colour, product, or whatever you’re interested in promoting, a user can get engaged by doing more than just reading.

Multi-Device

Gone in a Flash. Flash script is dead, along with the need to have extra plugins. Instead, HTML5 requires no third-party plugins to view animations and allows the same ad to adapt to different screens, no matter the size.
This is more important than ever as we quickly switch between device and platform, hopping from desktop to tablet in a heartbeat. Everyone has their own preference, and many people use multiple devices simultaneously.

Easy Optimisation

Trends can crumble as quickly as they take off in the online world. Being able to update your ads easily keep them on the ball and dynamic enough to adapt to a quickly changing environment.

So, what’s the difference between HTML5 banner ads and static, and which should I choose?

The above outlines that it depends on budget, message, and placement. A static ad could give you the simplicity needed for its success and avoid some problems with HTML5 banners.

However, it looks like the future of online programmatic advertising is moving towards the creative powers of HTML5.

The smooth tech of HTML5 glides between devices and platforms, allows animation to give even more creativity, provides even more information, engages like never before, and can be kept up to date with ease. Features that static could only dream of, so you should consider it worth the extra buck.

What is rich media?

Sometimes html5 ads can be confused with rich media, let’s define.

RICH MEDIA: a marketing medium that features video or sound and is interactive. The user participates in the media presentation. Rich media can be either Interactive (browser-based) or Download-based (stand-alone).

What are the most popular banner sizes?

The most popular programmatic display ad sizes in order are:

1. 300×250
2. 320×50
3. 300×600
4. 728×90
5.  160×600
6. 300×600
7. 970×250

Note that banner sizes will vary by platform and market and ultimately depend on the publishers you want to target.

What is a dynamic creative?

A dynamic ad is an HTML5 banner that can serve multiple creative elements to address all types of audience interactions, such as click-through, hover-over, expand and more.

It allows you to be more relevant with your audience by serving the right message at the right moment. The ad creative should have multiple creative elements that adapt based on the target audience, e.g. different colours, messages and products.

Why use dynamic ads?

There are two key reasons:

• Dynamic creative is more relevant and creates a better user experience.
• Allows advertisers to control and automate their display campaigns and save time and money in the process.

Where can I find display guideline specifications for programmatic DSPs?

Your agency will help with the exact ad specs, but here is a pretty good reference from Google.

How does an HTML5 banner ad work on different platforms?

HTML5 ads can be rendered on any platform, including mobile, tablet, website or app. Because HTML5 ads are rendered in real-time, they can adapt to different formats required by the publishing platform. This flexibility allows advertisers to have one ad delivered across multiple devices and screens with optimum performance measured at both pixel level and device level.

Are static ads better for lower-funnel activity?

Generally speaking, if there is a place for this format, it’s at the bottom of the user journey where we are trying to convert the user.

Which format will deliver a better CTR / Click-Through Rate?

Most likely HTML5 as they are more eye-catching, this is certainly what Advant Technology sees in its campaigns.

Conclusion

Now you know why animated ads have gained in popularity over the years! Need help with your next programmatic display advertising campaign? Contact us today for expert guidance and tailored solutions.