(Ad)ding Value To Your Site

Good evening fellow marketers!

Tonight I am discussing and analyzing different ad formats on entertainment-based websites. I have been analyzing the strategies of three different companies: Time Warner, Inc., Scripps Networks Interactive, and The Walt Disney Company. However in this post, I am going to discuss the brands that they own because those are the websites that feature ads.

Ads

Cartoon Network

Time Warner Inc. umbrellas Turner who owns the Cartoon Network brand. The home page of Cartoon Network is featured below. The ad shown is for a Lego product. This is a banner ad that expands when the cursor is rolled over it. As for the mobile website, the same type of ad format exists, except there is no rollover interactivity with the banner.

Food Network

Scripps Networks Interactive brand, Food Network, features a Chevrolet Equinox ad that is half the web page. I was able to close the ad into banner size with a simple click of an “x” at the top right corner. This ad took up half the viewing area of the site therefore eyeballs could not miss the Chevrolet product being advertised. This is a form of a “Rising Star” IAB ad, this follows the guidelines of a Pushdown ad. This unit “pushes” the page content down rather than expanding over page content (the IAB guidelines will be discussed later). The Food Network mobile site ad format is parallel with that shown and discussed for Cartoon Network; this banner ad is for www.Cafe-Tables.com. Unlike Cartoon Network, they do not offer a direct option to get the Food Network app upon opening their home page (which I think they should).

Disney 

Disney.com is used as a reference for The Walt Disney Company ads. On this home page, a very traditional, simple ad is displayed. There is no interactivity or animation with this Star Wars Day at Sea advertisement. However, I would say that Disney has the best mobile advertisement. To me, they made the Ant-Man advertisement easy to mistake as cohesively being a part of their mobile page (other than the word “ADVERTISEMENT” being underneath it). I think this is a smart move because generally, people are less likely to click on something that looks like an advertisement. Disney seems to be doing some tasteful reverse psychology here.    

On a side note, I really like how there is consistency between the desktop and mobile sites!

IAB Format Guidelines

As promised, it is time to discuss the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Display & Mobile Advertising Creative Format Guidelines. Below are clippings of the Quick Reference Guide that advertisers can use to better format their advertisements to optimize the conversion outcome. This guide is very important to refer to for the advertisement to reach its potential. Consumers want information that is relevant to them when they want it. Creating interactive advertisements increases the likelihood of a consumer to click the advertisement and therefore would increase chances of conversion. The Rising Stars of the guidelines, I think, are the most successful types of advertisements. Cartoon Network, Food Network, and Disney should optimize their sites to follow these guidelines and formats to increase overall interactivity with the consumer.

Online & Video Marketing Strategy In Light Of Current TV Trends

Aside from advertisements, Cartoon Network, Food Network, and Disney do incredible jobs of marketing themselves. This is reflected in their video and online strategies. The majority of video strategies are best explored via on-air television spots. Remember in my first blog post how I analyzed a Food Network promo? Yeah, those! Ultimately, knowing that the television trend is moving from cable to streaming, it is interesting to see how these promotional strategies will change. I think that interactivity is the best step forward. Imagine being able to interact with a Food Network promo? Maybe picking which ingredient they leave out and seeing how the meal is affected? Did you burn the pasta? I think that evolving online and video strategies to make a consumer feel like they are included and being individually paid attention is where marketing and technology should be challenged.

Cartoon Network | Free Game, Online Videos,... (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2015, from http://www.cartoonnetwork.com

Disney.com | The official home for all things Disney. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2015, from http://disney.com

Food Network - Easy Recipes, Healthy Eating Ideas and Chef Recipe Videos. (n.d.). Retrieved November 14, 2015, from http://www.foodnetwork.com

IAB Display Advertising Guidelines. (n.d.). Retrieved November 12, 2015, from http://www.iab.com/guidelines/iab-display-advertising-guidelines/

The All-New 2014 IAB Ad Portfolio. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2015, from http://www.iab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/IAB_Ad_Unit_Poster.pdf