And after the user has seen the banner one or two times, the urge to mouseover fades into obscurity. DoubleClick indicated that response rates can drop by one-half from the second to third time someone sees an ad. The success of a click-through is also relevant to where and what page the banner ad is placed. Then again, a recent study by San Francisco based Internet Profiles Corp. and DoubleClick reported emphasis on impact over design beauty. For the HotWired site, a HotWired Advertising Effectiveness Study used the same 'rigorous metrics' to assess the effectiveness of banner ads on the web as of print and television advertising.
Every ad impression is important.
And out of the jumble of studies, research, surveys, and trial and error, in an attempt to secure an order, banner ads do seem to do the trick. Just mouseover, get information, fill in a form, and purchase. All neatly packed inside an approximately 480 x 60 space. I must admit, I did click to learn. I will remember that ad too, just like the ones I see on the sides of buses.