1. The X Factor: The Risky Business of Ad Banners  by Sean X Cummings, iMedia Connection , 05-06-2008 . The internet is a fundamentally different consumption medium than TV, says Cummings, noting that the point and purpose of any banner must be delivered in three seconds at any point in the banner.
2. The End of ‘Command and Control’ Branding in Technology  by Paul Dunay, B to B , 04-07-2008 . Dunay discusses why new media types and such formats as RSS feeds, blogs, podcasts, video, communities, "microblogging" and other emerging forms of social media are not threats to marketers.
3. When a Banner Ad Becomes a One-Click Stand  by Peter Lee, Future Now , 02-15-2008 . Analyzes two banner ads for distractions. Recommends: (1) make sure a model's eyes aren't the focal point, or they'll distract from the call to action. (2) Don't ask people to buy yet, flirt first. (3) Make the landing page consistent with the ad.
4. How to Write Internet Ad Copy  by Larry Chase and Eileen Shulock, Search Engine for Marketers , 02-11-2008 . To write effective ad copy: (1) first the offer, then the copy, (2) think in keywords, (3) define your goal, (4) indicate a specific call to action, (5) do the direct mail two-step -- get a lead, then follow up, (6) write to an actual person, (7) tell a story, (8) appeal to emotions, (9) keep it short and do use bold, (10) avoid "ad" words, and (11) give yourself a long lead time.
5. Interactivity With a Mission  by Tessa Wegert, ClickZ Experts , 07-13-2006 . Case study of an online ad campaign for car maker Audi, in which interactive Flash banners were designed with roll-over animation that illustrated vehicle qualities and features, rather than simply attracting attention with motion.
6. What Consumers Hate about Online Ads  by Brad Berens, iMedia Connection , 05-11-2006 . Discusses consumer attitudes to online ads, dos and don'ts for marketers, the difference between animation and interaction, and other topics. Notes that the more objects designers place on screens, the less users see.
7. Why Is A Watermelon In The Tailpipe?  by Jeremy Lockhorn, ClickZ Experts , 04-24-2006 . Animated Flash banner ads can be very effective and tell a compelling story, but you have to consider the majority of your potential audience who will hardly glance at the animation, and perhaps only glance at the final resting frame.
8. Weather, Made to Order  by Tessa Wegert, ClickZ Experts , 04-13-2006 . Weather.com takes advantage of its wealth of location-specific weather data to offer unique ad targeting options, such as promoting an iced coffee drink only in cities where the current temperature is above 80 degrees.
9. New Banner Revives the Classics , iMedia Connection , 02-16-2006 . Reviews Turner Classic Movies ad that gives you the ability to send yourself a schedule of the movies you want to see.
10. Bringing Back the Banner , Website Services Magazine , 09-01-2005 . Explains how a well designed banner can motivate users to learn more about a product and introduce a brand’s identity to thousands of consumers, directly and indirectly influencing sales and subscriptions.
11. The Static Banner Ad: Online Media's Little Black Dress  by Tessa Wegert, ClickZ Experts , 09-15-2005 . Although rich media ads are generally more effective than static banner ads, there are situations where the old-fashioned banner still performs well: on blog sites, and in behavioral and contextual ad placements where relevance is more important than grabbing attention.
12. Downsizing: Small Ads, Big Results  by Tessa Wegert, ClickZ Experts , 04-07-2005 . Although large-format ads (such as the 550 x 480 banner) have been much more successful than smaller formats lately, consumer trends and resistance may signal that it's time to explore smaller, less-obtrusive designs once again.
13. Can the Internet Rejuvenate Editorial Cartooning?  by Mark Glaser, Online Journalism Review , 03-01-2005 . The dot-com boom days saw an explosion of animations online, but Glaser notes that the heady days are long over. Still, a boost in online ads might bring back innovation to political cartoons and animations online, and on mobile phones.
14. I Hate Labels  by Bradley Kay, Media Post , 02-14-2005 . Says we're a long way away from really good online advertising. Suggests watching people as they search the Net. Some lessons, rich media or not: get to the point quickly, create something that jumps off the page, ultimately, keep it simple.
15. Why the Banner Ad Refuses to Die  by Dorian Sweet, ClickZ Experts , 03-04-2005 . In spite of years of competition from higher-impact ad formats involving rich media, the old-fashioned banner ad continues to thrive and dominate online advertising: because it is cheap and easily understood, effective in contextual placements, and gets a message across at a glance.
16. Audience Segments and the New Creative  by Dave Morgan, ClickZ Experts , 03-10-2005 . Ad content for campaigns that are targeted to narrow audience segments or used in behavioral targeting contexts will be more successful when it is increasingly brand, product, model, and price-specific.
17. Video Ads on Winning Streak  by Seth Perkovich, iMedia Connection , 09-23-2004 . Repurposing your TV content on the Web is no longer limited to embedding a tiny video box within a standard-sized ad unit. Looks at ads by General Motors and Adidas.
18. Popup Window Maker , About.com . Use this tool to create a JavaScript script that automatically displays a popup window when the page loads. You tell it which page to display, along with any optional properties shown below.
19. Simple Pop-Under Window , CodeAve.com . Explains the JavaScript required to make a simple pop-under window, using window.open, blur(), and window.focus() functions.
20. JavaScript Pop Inside Window , About.com . This script allows you to display a popup window using DHTML inside the browser window. For displaying ads or important messages that you want to make sure your visitors notice. Page includes free JavaScript.
21. Popunder Power  by Mike N., JS-X.com , 11-01-2002 . Free JavaScript. This script opens a pop-under window once per user with specific random URL's to pop open, with or without toolbars, menu, etc. It uses a cookie to remember if your site's visitor has already seen it once.
22. What's in Your Call to Action?  by James Hering, ClickZ Experts , 02-03-2004 . A checklist to ensure that your call to action is effective, considering the customer's mindset, being clear about the required action, and making sure the customer can find it easily.
23. No More "Visits," Please!  by James Hering, ClickZ , 12-23-2003 . As a call to action, the phrase 'visit us on the web' ought to be banned. Ask yourself what you really want your audience to do, and come up with something stronger, like 'get control of your finances at www.bankofamerica.com'.
24. Holiday Campaign: Capturing Last-Minute Sales  by Tessa Wegert, ClickZ , 11-20-2003 . 3 suggested ad formats that can grab attention when you are looking for immediate attention and results - as in the last days of holiday shopping: video banners with sound, oversize leaderboard banners, and buttons placed in targeted newsletters.
25. Who's That Ad?  by Tessa Wegert, ClickZ , 11-06-2003 . Examples and discussion of teasing ads (without indication of the company or product being advertised, for instance) suggest that this is a difficult or impossible technique to pull off in online advertising.
26. Breaking Through Creative Blocks  by Tessa Wegert, ClickZ , 07-31-2003 . Pointers for designing online ads, by looking at past ads and seeing how they performed, looking at and learning from competitors' ads, and by mimicking successful ads on the site where the new ads will run.
27. Rich Media Ads: Size Does Matter  by Rob Graham, ClickZ , 06-13-2003 . Typical file size restrictions for graphic online ad formats - such as 15kb for a 120x600 skyscraper, are too limiting for many advertisers working with rich media. Publishers imposing such limits should consider increasing limits to raise revenues.
28. Waive the Banner!  by James Hering, ClickZ , 04-01-2003 . Discussion of the pros and cons of various online ad sizes, from the no-longer-essential 468x60 banner, to skyscrapers, integrated marketing units (IMUs) and full-screen page-transition ads.
29. An 'Un-Technified' Object Lesson  by Tessa Wegert, ClickZ , 01-09-2003 . As you design online advertising creative (or your e-commerce site, for that matter), make an effort to look at it from the point of view of users without broadband connections or the latest browser versions, or you might make a costly mistake.
30. 10 Effective Ways to Boost Banner Click-Through  by Chee Wee, InternetDay , 02-04-2002 . It's still possible to achieve reasonably good click-throughs (3% or more) with these techniques: use action words, short punchy headlines, 'trick' design (with fake submit buttons etc., animation, frequent rotation, small file size, targeted placement.
31. What Killed the Banner Ad?  by Lauri Harpf, SitePoint , 11-03-2001 . Banner ads aren't dead, it's just that most ads today are not designed to get results. Tips on how to make your banners look worse but perform better: focus on text, make the ad stand out from the background, keep it simple and straight to the point.
32. Excite Me, Tease Me, Make Me Want to Click  by Merle, InternetDay , 10-22-2001 . Eventually, you need banners as part of your online marketing efforts. You don't need to be a graphics designer to create your own: use free resources available online to create effective banners, ready for the next time the need arises.
33. Designing Web Ads Using Click-Through Data  by Jakob Nielsen, Alertbox , 09-02-2001 . Faced with text ads on Google that didn't work, Nielsen experimented with different wording that increased click-through 55% to 310%. Usability meets direct marketing.
34. Write Minimally, Pack a Big Message  by Vic Spindler, Workz.com , 06-29-2001 . Explains how to write copy for banner ads.
35. Compress Animated GIF Banners  by Shari Thurow, Workz.com , 07-10-2001 . Discusses 4 ways to make banner sizes to 12K or under: dithering, interlacing, fewer frames, and file compression.
36. 'Moving' Ads  by Bob Woods, New Media , 06-29-2001 . Capitol One's recent banner ads that jiggle and move, as well as blurring the boundary of the ad, do the key thing that all banner ads strive for: they get noticed.
37. Surprise! Badly Written Banner Ads Yield Bad Results  by Barry Zeger, ClickZ , 05-11-2001 . How to create clickworthy ad banners: lead with a question, create rhythm, keep it simple, show, don't tell, write visually, make an offer, justify the click, emphasize benefits, avoid tricks.
38. How to Create Banner Ads that Work  by Steve Ma. Reyna, PowerHomeBiz.com , 02-27-2001 . Suggests: 1. Keep your message short and simple. 2. Provide something interesting to viewers. 3. Give people a reason to click. 4. Develop follow-through mechanisms. 5. Target your ads. 6. Always test your banner ads. 7. Banner ads must be part of your overall advertising strategy. 8. Consider using rich media.
39. The Tyranny of Tracking and Targeting  by Pamela Parker, ChannelSeven , 02-15-2001 . Points out dangers in replacing "gut feel" traditional questions about advertising, such as "does the advertising allow you to connect to the customer in an emotional way" with focus on technologies relating to click-through and tracking.
40. Banner Advertising: 9 Ways to Make it Work  by Darcy McDonald, BizLand , 11-01-2000 . Offers tips on banner design, such as use horizontal animation rather than vertical, use "click here" call to action, don't use sex to sell, and use small, fast file sizes.
41. How to Design a More Effective Banner  by Adam Jackson, ClickZ , 09-19-2000 . 10 tips for designing good banner ads. (1) start with a great concept (2) be relevant (3) define your key metric (4) don't sacrifice brand integrity for a cheap click (5) keep it simple (6) focus on one unique attribute(7) create an effective marketing mix (8) be consistent (9) don't forget the button (10) test rich media banners for quality assurance.
42. Designing Banner Ads Like a Pro  by Ralph F. Wilson, Web Marketing Today , 07-17-2000 . Describes the key elements of a high achieving banner ad. Includes the conceptual phase, developing a visual metaphor, succinct copy, effective animation, and a call to action.
43. Tools and Resources for Designing Banner Ads  by Ralph F. Wilson, Web Marketing Today , 07-17-2000 . Points to the top periodicals, articles, and software tools to develop animated banner ads, including MacroMedia Fireworks, Adobe Photoshop, Ulead GIF Animator, and others.
44. Animation.com . Provides dozens of animated banner templates ("masters") that can be automatically customized for your particular product or message. $20 to $55 depending upon intricacy of animation.
45. The Forms of Rich Media: Part 2  by Bil McCloskey, ClickZ , 02-03-2000 . Examples of outstanding rich media banner ads, and thoughts on why they work better than standard banners. Including HP's 'True to the Original' butterfly using Java technology, also Comet cursor and Flash vector graphics technology.
46. How to Design A Successful Banner Today And For The New Millenium  by Eric Bonnici, Alexander Joseph & Associates , 12-30-1999 . Describes basics of banner design techniques, and some URLs to use for reference.
47. The Cure for Declining Click-Throughs  by Jeff Moore, ClickZ , 09-14-1999 . Banner ad click rates are declining, and studies show that brand recall may be weak. You can get better results by paying attention to the factors that motivate clicks: pique the visitor's curiosity, offer a discount, target to interested candidates.
48. Designing Winning Ad Banners  by Charlie Morris, Web Developer's Virtual Library , 06-07-1999 . Explanation and tutorial to create a banners for a successful ad campaign -- designing for clickthrough, graphic banners, animated banners, rich media types, banner creation software and tools,
49. Web Advertising DOES Work  by Michael Fischler, ClickZ , 05-24-1999 . Author makes a case that banner ads have a powerful impact when they are printed (as opposed to viewed online). Make sure your banner ads look good in print as well as online.
50. Made-to-Order Banners  by Ralph F. Wilson, Web Marketing Today, Issue 50 , 11-01-1998 . Provides several online sources for quick banner production.

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