Brand Building - Building A Brand Through Advertising

BUILDING A BRAND THROUGH ADVERTISING

Banner ads can be successful brand-building tools. To measure the effectiveness of banner ads as brand-building tools, though, requires more than a glance at click-through rates. To study the effect of banner ads on brand awareness, market researchers use a control-exposed methodology, which compares responses from a group that has been exposed to a banner ad with those of a control group that has not seen the ad. According to InformationWeek, ongoing research has shown that banner ads can be an effective brand-building tool. Companies such as Johnson & Johnson advertise on the Web, but they do not expect the ads to result in online sales. Rather, they are creating a brand awareness that they expect will translate into sales at the store. That is, the banner ad creates a relationship with the consumer that may result in sales at the counter.

Banner ads have been compared to billboard advertising. The advertiser has the consumer's attention for only a few seconds. During that time, the ad must capture the consumer's attention and leave a lasting impression through the use of compelling visuals that are memorable but not confusing.

Brand building must also exploit the synergies between Web advertising and traditional print and broadcast advertising. This is an area marketers continue to explore. A large media company such as Walt Disney Co., which owns ABC-TV and ESPN among other media properties, can exploit the synergy between ABC-TV and ABC.com, for example. Ads or messages placed on a television show direct viewers to a Web site where additional information can be obtained. In the case of ABC's hit TV quiz show, Who Want to Be a Millionaire?, viewers can go to the Internet to play the game. While there, they pick up brand awareness and have the opportunity to enter a sweepstakes.