In the digital world, we are constantly surrounded by advertising. So-called rich media ads give brands the opportunity to place adverts that stand out from the crowd. Embedded videos, animations, sound or dynamic placement of the advert create unique advertising environments that the target group will remember. We will now explain exactly what rich media ads are, what formats are available and what the advantages and disadvantages are!
Rich Media Ads – Definition
Rich media ads are special digital advertising media. The translation ‘rich’ or ‘enriched’ media content alone shows that they have more to offer than other advertising formats. Their special feature is their eye-catching nature, because unlike conventional display adverts, they do not just contain a static image or graphic, but interactive elements such as animations, videos, audio or other elements. Thanks to these elements, rich media ads have the potential to attract the audience’s attention particularly effectively and motivate them to interact, for example to click.
Advantages of rich media ads
Users are constantly surrounded by advertising in a wide variety of formats on the Internet. The competition for the attention of the target group is correspondingly high for brands. Standing out from the crowd in a creative way is therefore of great importance! The biggest advantage of rich media ads is to gain a certain edge in terms of attention, as dynamic elements such as animations, forms, links, videos or games catch the eye of the target group more quickly. In this way, the adverts counteract the so-called ‘banner blindness’ that users develop when they are surrounded by too many adverts, which can no longer unfold their effect due to this mass. In addition, the interaction rate with rich media ads is significantly higher than with classic banner ads, the bounce rate is lower and the click-through rate is higher. Rich media ads therefore have several advantages, not only subjectively in terms of perception, but also empirically measurable!
Disadvantages of rich media ads
Even though rich media ads have many advantages, there are still some disadvantages. On the one hand, the creation of advertising media is more complex than with classic display ads – it requires more elaborate content forms such as videos or technical developments for programming the advertising space behaviour for user interactions. Technical requirements can also limit the functionality of creatives. And last but not least, there is also a risk of ‘banner blindness’ among the audience if rich media ads are placed too extensively.
Formats of rich media ads
Not all rich media is the same! A wide variety of formats have developed over the years. As digital technology is constantly changing, this form of advertising can also be expected to evolve. Here are some examples of well-known and proven formats of rich media ads:
- Banners: Banners are the traditional form of rich media ads. They are placed with a fixed size and a defined position on a website or app. In the case of rich media ads, they contain dynamic elements such as videos. Banner ads are comparatively easy to develop and cost-efficient.
- Interstitial Creatives: With interstitial creatives, the advertising element is displayed to fill the screen and cover the entire page. They are used in particular for natural transitional elements on websites, such as a page change or breaks (in the case of games). Interstitial creatives can be closed by users by clicking on the corresponding button. The advertising medium usually remains fixed when scrolling.
- (Multidirectional) expandable advert: With this advertising format, other page content is covered by the advertising medium. Expandable ads can also be maximised in any direction or in a specific shape through user interactions such as mouseover, clicking or tapping. After another user action (or automatically after a certain time), they are minimised again. Multidirectional expandable adverts are a subtype. They are able to maximise in different directions. For example, if the ad is on the left-hand side, it is maximised to the right – and vice versa.
- Pushdown adverts: Pushdown adverts are also a form of advertising that is changed by user interaction. Initially, the advert is displayed as a smaller teaser. On mouseover, tapping or clicking, the advert is extended downwards and moves the remaining app or website content downwards.
- Takeover: With a takeover, a large part of the website content is replaced by the advert. For example, they can frame a website or give the impression that they interact with the publisher page.
Possible uses for rich media ads
Clearly, the primary use of rich media ads is to create adverts that quickly catch the eye of the target group. But even beyond this obvious purpose, this ad format can be used to achieve more than the maximally efficient ad. Here are a few examples:
- Adverts on which users can connect directly with the brand’s social media profiles
- Added-value content through embedded videos that stand out from simple advertising messages
- 360° views, detailed product information, interactive ‘wardrobes’ in e-commerce so that users have the opportunity to take a closer look at the product within the advert
Interaction with the advert is therefore always at the forefront!
Conclusion: rich media ads are a valuable form of advertising
There will continue to be a place for classic display ads in the advertising world in the future. For many companies, they are the foundation on which they advertise their brands digitally. However, rich media ads are a form of advertising that marketers should definitely have on their radar. They can be used to create multi-value advertising spaces that clearly catch the eye of the target group and also motivate interaction. This makes rich media ads particularly valuable marketing tools!
