Behind the noise: How to understand and overcome banner blindness in advertising campaigns

[Dimaeiya333]

Imagine walking down a busy street, with shops, display windows and advertising billboards all around you.

But you wear blinders.

All you see is the road. Offers and advertisements don't interest you.

It may seem exaggerated, but it is not so different from the phenomenon of banner blindness on the Internet.

When people are blind to banners, it's like they're blindfolded. They focus exclusively on finding the information that interests them. Everything else fades into the background.

Banner blindness is becoming more common, which is a cause for concern for advertisers.

In 2013, the average click-through rate (CTR) on banner ads was 1%. According to recent research, it is now 0.05%.

So digital ads must be over, right? Or at least on the way out?

Well, no. Digital ads, even banner ads, are still incredibly profitable.

You just have to put into practice strategies that can cut through so much noise.

This guide delves into the strategies needed to overcome banner blindness, such as novelty awareness, tracking user behavior, and the power of personalization.

What is banner blindness?
Banner blindness is something you've probably experienced yourself without realizing it. Most of us scroll through online content quickly, often ignoring ads. We focus on getting the information we're interested in and nothing else.

In psychology, this is a phenomenon known as “selective attention.”

It's a defense mechanism against the feeling of being overwhelmed. We can't take in everything around us. We'd end up with information overload. This is especially true in the online world, where we're constantly exposed to endless amounts of information, including ads.

This poses a real challenge for digital marketing professionals.

How can we make ads that stick in people's minds and capture their real attention?

But of course there is hope, and below we'll explore some helpful strategies.

Why is banner blindness so serious?
If we go back in time to the beginnings of the Internet, advertising banners were a novelty.

It may seem far-fetched now, but there was a time when they were a novel and exciting media directors email database way to grab attention. Because of this, click-through rates were high and marketers were having a field day.

However, as with most things, the novelty quickly wore off.

Today, digital ads are everywhere. People have grown tired of them. They have become desensitized.

And here's the interesting part: banner blindness has sparked a revolution in advertising formats.

You've probably noticed the emergence of more modern display ads. Ads that stand out from the rest, that capture and hold the audience's attention.

For example, this striking Disney banner ad uses bold design and popular characters to grab attention: