At IML, we run lots of digital campaigns. I mean a ton. Of course, no two are alike, but there are those that are just more... challenging. ​ The reasons may vary - strict limits on artwork; a very niche target audience; competition that oversaturates the market. ​ Banner Blindness All of this often leads to what we call "banner blindness," a common phenomenon where audiences simply overlook advertising as they otherwise engage with a site's content.
We challenged our research team (the "Labs" in Insight Media Labs) to come up with a solution that would boost ad performance and be easy to create and implement. In effect, create better banner ads. ​ A New Creative Format Enter SODA - Social Open Display Ads. The premise is pretty simple. Social media posts offer multiple trigger points that entice engagement, including like / comment / share counters; personal or brand avatars; and image / copy layouts that feel more human generated.
Build creatives that look and feel like social posts, but traffic them across the web, so they live outside of social media silos. They appear in unexpected spots, on news sites, shopping sites, anywhere outside of social media. ​ The Results After initial testing exceeded our expectatioins, we launched SODA ads as an option for our clients. They (and you) can use them exclusively or in tandem with traditional banner ads.
SODA ads are, on average, outperforming traditional banner ads by 3X in terms of clicks.
A key reason: SODAs fit more naturally with a site's editorial content - reporters regularly embed social media posts in their stories. They have the look of social posts but live outside of social media, boosting interest and authority.
​ Give SODAs a Try SODAs are so simple to create, we offer a free self-service SODA Builder tool that you can use to experiment and create your own banners. ​ Want to Learn More? We'd love to dive into your communications needs to see if we're a fit. Just drop us a comment or schedule a call and let's get to know each other better.