Why digital display advertising matters
Digital advertising has long been a go-to for brands looking to expand their reach. While the spotlight often falls on emerging trends, new formats, and evolving channels, it’s crucial not to lose sight of what consistently delivers. Display advertising is one of those proven tactics.
Visually engaging and cost-efficient, display ads continue to provide real value – raising brand awareness and sparking meaningful engagement across the multichannel customer journey.
What is display advertising?
Display advertising refers to visual or text-based ads that appear on websites or social platforms to build brand awareness or encourage specific actions. Typically, pricing is based on a cost-per-click (CPC) model, meaning you only pay when someone interacts with your ad.
Display ads are a core part of programmatic advertising strategies, but they’re also widely used for retargeting. These campaigns reconnect with users who have previously visited your site but didn’t complete an action, encouraging them to return and reconsider.
Because display advertising plays such a strong role at the awareness stage, it often targets users in an exploratory mindset. They might not be ready to purchase yet – but just a few well-placed impressions can be enough to influence future decisions.
5 business benefits of display advertising
Display advertising continues to play a vital role in modern marketing strategies. Here are five important reasons why:
1. It has outstanding reach
With Google Display Network alone reaching over 90% of internet users, the potential exposure of displaying advertising is hard to beat. This makes it ideal for building awareness at speed.
2. It captivates audiences through visual appeal
Display ads go beyond plain copy – they use engaging visuals to draw eyes to your brand. The best examples cut through the noise and convey a strong, clear message at a single glance. Tip for creative content marketing: make sure the visual element of your ad either speaks for itself or supports the story told by the copy.
3. It enables precision marketing
Responsible for digital content creation? Display advertising puts a sophisticated set of targeting tools in your hands, helping you reach the right people at the right time:
- Contextual targeting – Show your ads to users based on keywords and themes from their search history.
- Placement targeting – Select the specific websites or platforms where your ads appear to control visibility and alignment.
- Demographic targeting – Focus your spend on audiences by age, gender, location, language, and interests.
- Behavioral targeting – Serve ads based on past browsing behaviors and intent signals, increasing the likelihood of conversion.
4. It supports flexible, cost-effective pricing
One of the best things about display advertising is that you can spend what you want to – and all options are relatively low-cost. Whether you choose cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM), display ads typically outperform traditional advertising in terms of ROI.
5. It offers excellent tracking options
Digital ads provide clear metrics, so you can assess performance, refine campaigns, and optimize spend in real time. This includes knowing the exact number of impressions and clicks each ad receives.
Examples of effective display advertising
The Ridge Wallet
Ridge’s ad for its RFID-blocking wallet needs barely any copy – because the visual storytelling is so strong. All that’s required is a very brief product description and a simple CTA: “Shop now”.
Why it’s effective:
– Shows rather than tells
– Reinforces the brand’s clean, functional style
Brita
Many people despair over the number of water bottles wasted each year. Brita taps into this shared sustainability concern to promote its filter bottle.
Why it’s effective:
– The value proposition is tied to a social cause
– Tells a powerful story in just four words
Audible
Audible promotes its subscription model with a limited-time discount and an illustration of a popular title. The visual grabs interest, while the offer motivates action.
Why it’s effective:
– Highlights content the audience already values
– Leads with a compelling incentive to try the service
How your brand can take control of display advertising with Papirfly
Looking to create effective display ads – fast? Empower your frontline teams to deliver studio-quality digital content creation.
With Papirfly’s Digital Asset Management and templated content creation tools, your teams can create high-performing display ads at speed – without relying on agencies. Produce consistent, on-brand content at scale, respond to trends in real time, and deliver more impactful campaigns across every digital channel.
Does everyone create content that’s on‑brand, every time?
Find peace of mind with
better brand governance.
Does everyone create content that’s on‑brand, every time?
Find peace of mind with
better brand governance.
Find peace of mind with
better brand governance.
FAQs
Display advertising refers to visual or text-based ads shown on websites, apps, or social platforms. These ads build brand awareness and drive engagement, typically using cost-per-click (CPC) or cost-per-impression (CPM) pricing models.
Display ads remain effective due to their wide reach, visual appeal, precise targeting capabilities, cost-efficiency, and strong performance tracking. They’re ideal for both brand awareness and retargeting strategies.
Display ads allow marketers to target users based on demographics, interests, behavior, keyword context, or specific website placements. This precision boosts ad relevance and return on investment.
With Digital Asset Management and templated content creation tools like Papirfly, brands can empower teams to produce on-brand, high-quality display ads quickly – without having to wait for agency support.
