Ten Years of Learning on How Online Advertising Builds Brands

Online advertising has been with us for over 10 years. During that time two different paradigms have characterized the way the effectiveness of online advertising has been assessed: brand building or direct response.

Ten Years of Learning on How Online Advertising Builds Brands

Nigel HollisMillward Brown

Online advertising began in 1994, but accurate (and audited) spend data first became available in 1996. Figure 1 illustrates the year-on-year growth of online advertising spending from 1996 onward and highlights the medium's roller coaster ride to date.

THE BIRTH

The first simple static banner appeared on HotWired in 1994. The advertisement asked, “Have you ever clicked your mouse right here?” and an arrow pointed to a button that stated “You will.” When people clicked on the button, they were taken to the AT&T...

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