Report: More Ad Formats Common, But Banner Still Dominates

The average site these days is accepting four different ad formats, compared to three in the second half of last year, but 468 x 60 banners remain the most popular format of all, according to a new report by the AdRelevance division of Media Metrix.

All popular ad dimensions are showing strong growth in terms of usage by sites, including banners, according to AdRelevance. Use of full banners grew 4 percent; the short banner format grew 13 percent; the half banner size grew 10 percent; and vertical banners showed 10 percent growth. The use of tall buttons grew 33 percent; medium-sized buttons showed 14 percent growth; short buttons increased nine percent; and micro buttons grew 28 percent.

Although only 16 percent of sites said they used vertical banners — making it the least popular ad dimension — it appears to be rising in usage, growing by 10 percent in the past six months.

“Amidst claims that the banner is ‘dead’, it’s interesting to note that we’ve seen a slight upward shift in the number of sites using full banner ads — they have become the de facto standard,” said Marc Ryan, director of media research for the AdRelevance division of Media Metrix.

“While full banners top the online ad popularity list, we’ve also seen that sites are keeping their options open. The latest AdRelevance findings suggest that there’s been an increase in sites supporting multiple ad dimensions and advertisers experimenting with all sizes of online ads, hoping to grab more eyeballs.”

These figures were gathered between January and June 2000 for the AdRelevance “Rate Card and Ad Dimensions Report.” The company analyzed non-negotiated rate card prices for banner and button advertisements on more than 400 of the most highly-visited Web sites.

Other findings include:

• Rate card prices for standard 468 x 60 standard banners have declined slightly (down $2.70) in the past six months, dropping from an average full banner price of $33.22 to $30.52 CPM.
• During the same time period, advertisers upped online ad spending, with the average amount spent per company increasing 14 percent from $263,000 to $299,000.
• A majority of sites offer discounts on full banner rates, running from 20 percent to 39 percent, with the average discount at 33 percent.