When it comes to effective advertising, there is simply nothing more important than thoughtful planning. You have no business designing an ad if you don't have answers to these questions. Let's have a show of hands. 1.Executive orders designs for an ad campaign. 2.Upon seeing proposed designs, Executive shoots them down because he considers the aforementioned questions only after seeing the fruits of your labor.
Thoughtful planning is the foundation of any advertising campaign.
If you're trying to build name recognition, then you'll want to pepper your banners with your logo and name. If you're looking for click through, your logo might get in the way. A svelte ad might be just the thing to get the fitting folks to fill out those forms, but if you're trying to imprint your name in the public's mind you'll want to get down right funky. Similarly, targeting the audience effects the direction of the campaign. If your target audience is the youthful set, advertising at many of the high volume big name corporate sites might be a waste of money.