Ever scrolled through a website and suddenly stopped because colorful, eye-catching ads just jumped out at you? That would be a good example of display ads in action. These digital billboards pop up on websites, social media platforms, and apps to grab the target audience's attention in seconds. By leveraging advanced targeting and compelling visual design, display ads can help businesses enhance brand visibility, drive engagement, and create connections with potential customers.
Before we look at some effective examples, let's cover a few essential principles for creating impactful display ads:
Do’s and Dont’s for Display Ads
Dos:
- Keep it simple: Use clear and concise messaging that communicates your point without clutter. The fewer distractions, the better.
- Use easy-to-read font: Choose fonts that are legible in different sizes and easy on the eyes. Avoid overly stylized fonts that might detract from the message.
- Use eye-catching visuals: Attract attention with visuals that stand out but are also relevant to your message and brand.
- Show your logo: Always include your logo to build brand recognition. Make sure it’s visible but not overpowering.
- Include a CTA: Have a clear call to action that tells viewers exactly what you want them to do, such as "Shop Now," "Learn More," or "Sign Up."
- Set up retargeting strategy: Use retargeting to serve ads to users who have already visited your site but didn't convert, to remind them of what they’re missing.
- Test different specifications: Test different elements of your ads (like CTAs, images, and headlines) to see what resonates best with your audience.
Don’ts:
- Don’t make your ads too busy: Avoid cramming too much information or too many images into your ad. It can overwhelm or confuse the viewer.
- Don’t forget about brand consistency: Make sure your ads are in line with your brand’s voice, style, and colors to ensure a cohesive brand experience across all platforms.
- Don’t ignore mobile optimization: Design your display ads with mobile users in mind, considering smaller screens and mobile responsiveness.
- Don’t limit yourself to clichés: Display ads are in general simple, but still try to be original in your messaging and visuals to stand out.
Now, let’s jump into some of the best display ad examples we spotted.
1. The Guardian Jobs
- Industry: Media
- Ad type: Dynamic ad / Problem-solution ad
- Visual: Simple, bold typography and vibrant colors with engaging illustrations and animations with a playful depiction of a person lifted by a clock in a meeting.c
- CTA: Search Guardian jobs
- What’s good about this ad: The ad clearly communicates that The Guardian Jobs is a desirable platform for finding interesting and suitable job opportunities. “No more boring meetings” addresses a common pain point at work, and the playful, fun illustration depicts a desirable alternative. The clear call to action, "Search Guardian Jobs," encourages direct engagement from viewers.
2. monday.com
- Industry: SaaS
- Ad type: Static ad / Testimonial ad
- Visual: The ad features a simple design with a clean layout, large quotation marks, and a simple testimonial text highlighting a key benefit. The logo of monday.com and a "Start free trial" button are prominently displayed at the bottom, maintaining brand recognition and encouraging action.
- CTA: Start free trial
- What’s good about this ad: It utilizes a customer testimonial to highlight a specific benefit of using monday.com: expanding into more markets. This builds credibility and relatability among prospective users. The clear, direct call to action invites immediate engagement, enhancing the likelihood of conversions. The design is simple and straightforward, aligning with the brand.
3. Amazon
- Industry: E-commerce
- Ad type: Static ad / Announcement ad
- Visual: The ad features a vibrant and eye-catching purple background with images of various lifestyle products surrounded by flame emojis to emphasize the hot deals. The product images are presented as stickers, giving a playful look to the design.
- CTA: None
- What’s good about this ad: It’s clear, simple, and straight to the point. It captures attention with its bright colors and dynamic visuals, emphasizing affordability with "Crazy low prices" and "Everything $20 and under." It creates a sense of urgency and excitement about the deals, likely driving traffic to Amazon's website for more details or purchases.
4. Enterprise
- Industry: Car Rental
- Ad type: Dynamic ad / Explainer ad
- Visual: The ad features a bold, monochromatic green background that stands out, with a high-quality image of a car. The bold and large text "WE OWN THIS" at the top and "SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO" at the bottom communicate the service's main benefit—ownership-free driving.
- CTA: More info (in Dutch: Meer Info)
- What’s good about this ad: The strong, simple message paired with the clean design communicates the convenience of using Enterprise’s services. The overall aesthetic is modern and powerful, likely attracting a younger, urban demographic looking for flexible transportation options.
5. Fiverr
- Industry: SaaS
- Ad type: Static ad / Problem-solution ad
- Visual: It uses a green-themed design that matches Fiverr's branding. It features an illustrative graphic of a search bar with the text "SEO services" to symbolically represent search engine optimization. The visual simplicity ensures the message is the focal point.
- CTA: Go get SEO
- What’s good about this ad: It addresses a common pain point and positions Fiverr as the solution by urging them to "Leave it to the experts." This direct approach, paired with a compelling call to action, "Go Get SEO," effectively encourages viewers to engage with the service. The ad’s clear, concise messaging and relevant graphics make it effective for capturing the attention.
6. Square
- Industry: SaaS
- Ad type: Static ad / Benefit-oriented ad
- Visual: The ad features an image of the Square Terminal in action, displaying the user interface on the device’s screen. The clean, straightforward layout with a focused image of the product in use emphasizes its functionality and ease of use.
- CTA: Learn more
- What’s good about this ad: The header highlights the key benefit of the product—accepting payments at a low rate, which directly appeals to business owners seeking cost-effective payment solutions. The visual clarity and focused message make it easy for viewers to quickly understand the product's value proposition. The large logo enhances brand awareness.
7. Asana
- Industry: SaaS
- Ad type: Static ad / Feature call-out ad
- Visual: The ad uses a sleek, modern design with a black background and contrasting text boxes that highlight key statistics: "42% Faster execution" and "34% More efficient." This design choice ensures that the key benefits are apparent and easy to read.
- CTA: Sign up today
- What’s good about this ad: It highlights the efficiency and productivity gains, making it appealing to business decision-makers looking to optimize operations. The use of precise metrics in the ad adds credibility and is likely to attract attention from professionals seeking measurable improvements in their workflows.
8. UBS
- Industry: Banking
- Ad type: Static ad / Explainer ad
- Visual: The ad features a sophisticated image of a woman working diligently in a study or office surrounded by books, which suggests a scholarly or thoughtful approach to banking. The environment evokes a sense of tradition and expertise, emphasizing the tagline "Banking is our craft."
- CTA: Learn more
- What’s good about this ad: This ad features a refined and cultured setting to symbolize the meticulous care and expert knowledge of UBS, aligning with its brand identity as a trusted, high-quality service provider. The overall aesthetic is designed to appeal to an audience that values professionalism and depth of knowledge in financial management.
9. LinkedIn
- Industry: Job platform
- Ad type: Static ad / Benefit-oriented ad
- Visual: An picture of two professional women talking reflects the ad topic: connect with your TA easily. The company (LinkedIn Ads), header, an CTA are simple but clear. White and blue colors creates a business-focused, professional look.
- What’s good about this ad: Imagery showing actors' faces and realistic interaction catch people's attention. Header explain the benefit of LinkedIn ads effectively. Simple and clean design resonates with target audience looking for effective, professional advertising solutions.
11. Canva
- Industry: SaaS
- Ad type: Static ad / Promotion ad
- Visual: The ad uses a vivid purple background that aligns with Canva’s brand color, enhancing brand recognition. It displays a promotional offer "Now 20% off an annual subscription” (Nu 20% korting bij een jaarabonnement) in large, clear typography to highlight the deal.
- CTA: Go to offer (Naar aanbieding in Dutch)
- What’s good about this ad: It effectively uses a direct approach by highlighting a significant discount that is likely to attract both existing and potential customers. The ad design is simple yet bold, ensuring high visibility and quick comprehension of the message.
11. On
- Industry: Sports
- Ad type: Static ad / Announcement ad
- Visual: The ad features a close-up, dynamic shot of a runner’s lower legs and feet, showcasing the branded running shoes. This targeted visual is set against a dark, somewhat urban background, focusing the viewer's attention on the product and the activity.
- CTA: Learn more
- What’s good about this ad: The ad is effective because it leverages the end-of-the-year holiday season. The "Shop now" button is strategically placed to encourage immediate action. The overall presentation is sleek and professional, which not only highlights the product but also enhances the brand’s image as a provider of high-quality athletic gear.
Key Takeaways from the Best Display Ad Examples
From the analysis of the display ads above, here are a few key takeaways to optimize your ad strategies:
- Keep it simple: The ads maintain a simple and uncluttered design, focusing on one key message or product feature to prevent overwhelming the viewer.
- Large font, minimal text: Employing large fonts and minimal text effectively draws attention and delivers the message quickly and efficiently, making the key details stand out with greater impact.
- Clear and direct CTA: The ads consistently feature prominent calls to action, like "Learn more" or "Shop now," that are visually distinct and guide users towards the next step, enhancing conversion rates.
- Brand Visibility: Make sure your display ds includes the logo and other visible branding elements, ensuring recognition and trust.
In short, effective display ads are simple visual storytellers that capture attention instantly. With clean design and concise messaging, guiding viewers seamlessly toward brand awareness and action.
