Banner blindness is REAL. You probably already know that. But here’s the extent of the blindness:
- You’re more likely to survive an airplane crash than click on a banner ad.
- 50% of all mobile ad banner clicks are “accidental.”
- 86% of consumers, including yourself, suffer from banner blindness.
- The average CTR of banner ads is a meager 0.06%.
In light of the above facts, is it any wonder banner advertising is not working for you as you’d like it to?
The fault does not lie in banner advertising as such. In fact, companies continue to invest in banner ads. According to one Statista report, banner ad spending is projected to reach US $217.6 billion by the year 2028.
The fault lies in how companies are implementing banner advertising. If you are only investing in one form of banner ads, then maybe it’s time to change that.
For instance, if you’ve been using static ads, try animated banners too.
We’re experts in creating all kinds of banner ads. Whether it’s Google Display Ads, Affiliate Marketing, Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Google Ads, Yahoo Network, or third-party platforms like AdRoll and BuySellAds, we design unique, high-converting banners that work across all major advertising platforms.
In this post, we’ll explore 10 of our animated banners. Let’s go!
Why Should You Try Animated Banner Ads?
First and foremost, let’s understand why you should create GIF banners. There are two key reasons why they have a strong impact on viewers:
- GIF banners exploit our psychological biases.
- GIF ads set the stage for the pitch.
Let’s take a look at these separately, in more detail.
1. Psychological Component
GIF ads stand out because they’re dynamic and visually engaging. And they can convey more information in less space than static images.
On average, Giphy users spend at least 2 hours daily viewing GIFs, demonstrating their strong impact on audiences.
But most importantly, GIF ads exploit our psychological biases.
Our ancestors relied on visual cues in the environment to identify possible threats. Objects that moved stood out, signaling the need for immediate attention.
As a result, our visual system has evolved to prioritize movement.
2. Sets the Stage for the Pitch
Repeatedly viewing a banner ad can subconsciously familiarize the audience with your brand.
This makes them more likely to convert when the time comes, compared to those who haven’t seen your ads.
While nearly 54% of visitors are wary of banner ads, suspecting clickbait, GIFs can engage viewers and convey your message without directly pushing for action. By using subtle GIF banner ads, you can build trust and shift audience perception over time.
You’re not alone in wanting to maximize your banner ads. Thousands are doing the same, whether they’re ahead or behind you. With so much banner content out there, most audiences ignore static ads. GIFs have the advantage—they stand out and are a strong solution to banner blindness.
5 Expert Tips to Create GIF Banners
1. Size Matters
Banner ads come in various sizes. Here are the basic banner sizes:
For best results, keep your animated GIF banners under 150KB in file size.
2. Let the Visuals Do the Talking
GIF banners are small, so it’s best to keep text minimal and focus on visuals. (More on this in the next section.)
When designing an animated GIF ad, consider the demographics and culture of your target audience. This makes your ads more relevant and personalized.
3. Use Minimal Copy
Keep banner copy under 10 words, as space is limited.
Instead of long text, use modern typography to catch attention. Animated banners let you enhance typography with engaging visual effects.
4. Use Light CTAs
You may or may not animate the CTA of your banner ad. But the important thing is to keep it light. In other words, keep it simple and relevant.
Make sure it sticks to your brand guidelines and aesthetics.
5. Incorporate Brand Recall
Always include a brand recall element in your animated GIF banners, whether it’s your logo, color palette, or any unique feature that represents your brand.
5 Ways to Create GIF Banners
1. Image Carousels
Carousels or slides are a nice way to show different products or share information in a compact space. Take a look at this example.
2. Animated Image
Using an animated image or illustration will add a slight movement that catches the audience’s eye for your ad. Catch the following banner ad.
3. Animated CTA
Using a GIF for your CTA is a smart way to add animation to banner ads. It draws attention and makes the CTA more clickable. Take a look at this example.
4. Animated Text
Because of limited space, the text in GIF banner ads is kept short.
Adding animations or effects to the text in animated banner ads will help grab the audience’s attention. Just like in the example below.
5. Cinemagraph
Cinemagraphs are GIF banner ads that loop seamlessly by matching the first and last frames.
This creates a continuous, smooth animation that resembles a video. Here is an example of a cinemagraph in banner ads.
Let’s now look at 10 animated banner ads examples that were designed by us for various industries.
10 Animated Banner Examples by Industry
1. Automotive Industry
2. Hospitality Industry
3. Health Care Industry
4. Travel Technology
5. Real Estate
6. Tech Sector
7. Finance Industry
8. Marketing Industry
9. Education Sector
10. Fashion Industry
Animated Banner Ads: Best Practices
Consider the following best practices if you want to create GIF banners:
- Add nice product shots in your banner to pique audience interest and trigger conversions.
- Design multiple variants of your banner ad. Use them for different days at different times.
- Banner ads longer than 15 seconds are not recommended. Understand that you only have a few seconds to capture a user’s attention. Your ad must do it successfully within five or seven seconds of being viewed.
- Be careful with expandable banners. As a rule of thumb, your ad should not expand more than twice its original size.
- Try a banner exchange program. A banner exchange takes place when you get to display your ad on another website in exchange for the latter’s ad being displayed on yours.
- Choose high-quality images both to stand out and to enhance the viewing experience.
- Digital compositing is the technique of digitally combining multiple images into a single final image. As far as banner ads are concerned, Google does not recommend digital compositing.
- Test your animated banner ads.
That’s A Wrap!
So those were just a few ways of leveraging animated banner ads.
We hope this information gives you a clearer understanding of animated GIF ads and helps you effectively include these strategies in your campaign.
Next up, follow these 8 best practices for HTML5 display banner ads, Banner ads common mistakes That Can Cost You Clicks