It's red hot, and it's spawned a huge variety of software packages to help you rotate banner ads on your site, track inventory, report advertising results, target visitors, and much more.
October 26, 1999
If you're selling ads on your site, you'll need some kind of ad management software. These range from free CGI scripts to $50,000 packages that require a team of techies to set up. The latter have gobs of features, but do they work any better than the free scripts? Not always.
Even if you're on the buying side of the online ad scene, you need to be aware of these packages and how they work. You need to know what you can expect in terms of reporting. Getting good reports and using the information they give you to target your ads and tailor your campaigns is the key to success with banner ads.
And let's not forget mailing list ads. They're far cheaper and in many cases far more effective than banners, so they're one of the hottest topics on the ad scene these days.
What about the "banner ads don't work" doomsayers? You'd think that the phenomenal growth of banner advertising would have silenced them, but there are still a few of them haunting the scene. In fact, a major business magazine recently published an interview with someone who should know better, who is of the opinion that somebody (the government? the InterNIC?) should regulate the Web, forcing sites to charge "micropayments" for access and eliminate banner ads. We hear some nutty ideas around here, but good grief!
I don't care what the people say, banner ads are here to stay. In fact, that was old news two years ago. Love them or hate them, banner ads (and mailing list ads, and sponsorships and interstitials, and...) are now a $1.8 billion dollar per year industry, and this is just the camel's nose. Here are some articles to help you sort it all out.
Ad Management Software
(Ad Resource) - So you want to sell ads on your Web site in the hopes of making a little dough? You're going to need software to help manage those big-name campaigns. Your choices range from free CGI scripts such as Bannermatic to high-end, big bucks solution like DoubleClick's DART.
Ad Management Software Shootout
This comparison of available ad management software is a bit dated now, but still makes a good overview of the field, and has some tips on what features to look for.
Evaluating Ad Management Software
If you’re selling ads on your Web site now or plan to be in the near future you need to decide what kind of ad management software you need.
Advertising on the Internet (Book Review)
Online advertising is an industry that generates $1.8 billion dollars per year, and believe me, you ain't seen nothing yet! There's a huge demand for information about this red-hot field from both would-be sellers and would-be buyers of advertising. This comprehensive and well-written book should satisfy both groups.
