Online Advertising an Example of the Topic Business Essays by

Online Advertising Introduction The criteria for study is divided in to various sub sets and various methodologies are adopted to make an accurate study relating the topic. The first step is to analyse the visual appeal of both the banners and the way in which they are positioned in the web page. The next step is to analyse the content part, ie: the concept that is being explained though the banners and their efficiency in attracting the attention of a site viewer. Stress is also given to the evaluation and study of the Banner size and its positioning in the web page. Need essay sample on "Online Advertising" topic? We will write a custom essay sample specifically for you Proceed As per the conventional theories on communication the Z rule for hot spots is applicable to web pages as well. The rule emphasises the point that a viewer of a website or the reader of a newspaper is inclined to view the page in a pattern resembling the letter Z. The hottest point is the top left corner, then he moves on to the right, then to the bottom left and ultimately to the bottom right corner. This theory can also be applied while analysing and the efficiency of the Advertisement banners placed in the site can be analysed. Here the case study offers an opportunity to find out the efficiency of Advertisement campaigns in webpages and helps to understand the most suitable and appropriate positioning of the Ad panels. The scope of the study is that it is equally beneficial for both the advertiser and the advertised as it helps both the parties to improve the quality of the service that they are offering. Briefly analyse the First case study In case of the first Website Advertisements are placed on the top right and bottom positions of the web page. There are interactive ads and snippets which give the viewer a glossy feel. Also the advertisement banners are positioned in an attractive and eye catching way. The services provided here is mostly women related facilities like subscribing womens magazines cosmetic items and relating horoscope and foreign trip planning. All the ad banners are positioned in an attractive way and perfectly matches the content of the site. The colour scheme is also selected accordingly. An important problem that can be noticed is that there is a little bit of horizontal scroll for the page. As a result the ads placed at the right side of the page is not visible immediately. The viewer has to scroll in order to view the advertisement. Ad positioning For any advertisement campaign to work efficiently, the primary factor is that, the advertisements should be positioned in such a way that it is clearly visible and the target audience easily notices the advertisement. In the first case the advertisement banners are effectively positioned in sync with the page content. To start with our analysis, we can first verify the positioning of Advertisements in the web page. As said earlier, the Ads are concentrated to the top, right and bottom of the pages. Also there are variety in advertisements like the one placed towards the right, in which when the mouse is placed over the Advertisement banner, then the copy of the advertisement appears. This type of a creative advertisement seems to be extremely useful in generating feminine curiosity. Now when we analyse the advertisement using the Z theory of visual focus point, it is clear that the ad page caters to a very high extend based on the theory. Ad design and colour schemes The advertisements are in perfect match with the page content thus identifying them as part of the page itself. The tint of pink and green colour user is very much effective in this respect. The top strip of the page is black and hence it provides a perfect background for any colour for the advertisements. As per theories the colour schemes of the advertisement should not contrast the basic colour scheme of the aver all page. This is taken care about and is effectively done. Formats of advertisements It has been noted that there are normally three file formats for banner advertisements in websites. The first one is JPEG format (image), GIF format (animated images) and flash format (.SWF) format. In the first website, we have flash advertisement used very effectively at the right side of the page. The effectiveness of the ad is that, normally it occupies less space and when the mouse comes over the ad panel, then the advertisement is expanded and occupies more space. This kind of an animation is very effective to evoke curiosity among the viewers. The colour scheme of the advertisement is also in perfect match with the page contents. Subject dealt with in the Advertisements Being a website for women, it is expected to have women related goods and services being advertised in the site. Here an analysis based on this respect will prove to be effective. In the first web site, there are ads relating to dating, womens cosmetic items as well as other amenities of general human interest. Briefly analyse the second case study In the Second website, the ads are placed at the top, in the left side and at the bottom of the page. Many of the advertisements are relating to women but there are also ads relating to financial organizations like IG vaisya. On the right side of the page we find big banner advertisements, whereas towards the left side of the page there are small button Ads. Ad Positioning Studying the positioning of the Advertisement, it is obvious that there is lack of clarity when compared to the first website. Advertisements are spread all over and there is a messed up feeling altogether. Here Ad Positioning is not much taken care of. Also the positioning is not in the hotspots of the page. There is also an empty feeling at the top strip portion of the page. There is scope of a colourful advertisement side by side with the top strip and the unavailability of such an ad creates a void there. The most important fact relating Ads placed towards the right side of the page is that, they are not even seen in 600 X 800 screen resolution. This means most of the visitors (at least some) skip even seeing these advertisements. This is a highly negative aspect and when contrasting this with the former website here it is clear that the right side ad panel is a total failure. The basic purpose of an advertisement is to attract the attention of the viewer. If the ad itself is not viewed what is the purpose of placing an ad? Design and colour schemes The design and colour schemes of the ad is in perfect union with the main content of the site. The design is more or less simple and the colour is perfectly matching. There are a few ad links at the bottom of the page, which gives the site a directory look. There are also beneficial when we consider the website as an exclusive womens web site. The links placed towards the left side is having an identity of their own. Though most of them are having contrasting visual elements there is an eye catching aspect in every ad and is very important for banner advertisements. Formats of advertisements As said earlier Ads are of three basic formats. In the second website not even a single gif ad is present. All ads are in JPEG format. Ie: they are all non animated images. There is only one flash ad at the top right of the page. This reduces liveliness of the website and make the ads feel dull. Especially considering the fact that the website is for women which mostly includes teen age girls and women mostly of a young age group, it is always wise to use much more glossy and attractive advertisements. Subject dealt with in the Advertisements This is most crucial as this is a women related site . Here in the second web site, almost all ads are on women interest and there are a few general interest topics. Women related topics like beauty aids, dating, love life advisers etc are displayed. Also a few offers to sign up for magazines are also present. All the advertisements are more or less communicative and the services offered are identifiable except for a few advertisements. Also the arrangement of advertisements and page content is in such a way that the viewer is easily confused about which one is the page content and which one is an advertisement. So it can be concluded that ads are placed here in a cunning way from a viewers point of view. Conclusion - Compare and contrast the two case studies To conclude with, after closely examining various factors dealt with in detail like, Ad positioning, Ad design and colour schemes, Formats of advertisements, Subject dealt with in the Advertisements in the two websites that are being examined, we have reached the following findings. The first website is more specific in terms of Ad positioning and effectiveness of Ad banners The position of advertisements and the selection of hot spots is much more accurate in the first advertisement File format selection is also better in the case of the first website as they could also manage the available space by using tricky flash animation as contrasted with the later website. Use of animations and movements to make the website feel more lively is also successfully accomplished by the first website. Both the website is having horizontal scroll when viewed in 600 X 800 screen resolution which should be rectified for effective ad display. When considered as a website for women , both websites have taken care to use light and fruity colours that are in sync with the feminine nature. Bibliography Thomas C. O'Guinn, Chris T. Allen, Richard J. Semenik, Advertising and integrated brand promotion Published by Thomson South-Western Arie den Boon, Webvertising, Published by Kluwer Scn Education B. V, 'Webvertising: The Ultimate Internet Advertising Guide', Published by Springer David W. Schumann , Esther Thorson , Esther Thorson, 'Internet Advertising: Theory and Research', Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.