Small businesses are getting more educated about targeted display advertising opportunities out there and some are getting fine results by telling their whole story at a glance.
I’ve been hearing from clients and other connections who’ve discovered the real power and cost-effectiveness of today’s sophisticated digital platforms. And I’ve also heard from countless small business owners who “tried it” and “got zip!” When I hear that, sometimes I probe further and discover either a lack of follow-through or a bland, unclear message, or else a combination of those factors.
Let’s take a closer look at a good display ad.
Clarity or Clutter?
When you see an ad or glance at a billboard, what do you instantly understand the second it receives your glance? Does the image and headline immediately make sense? Or do you only see a lot of words with a logo and perhaps an abstract image?
Great advertising first arrests, then quickly makes perfect sense to its viewers & listeners, and there’s a form of art behind its creation.
The term “Johnson Box” is named after a direct marketer named Frank Johnson who used a simple technique in the 1940s and 50s to make magazine ads and direct mail pieces work better. The Johnson Box is essentially a bold headline that contains the single message you want your viewer to know immediately.
Save the Details
In this digital display ad sample, notice the huge yellow headline, then the sharp visual contrast and product image. First, the ad is eye catching, then you can’t miss “Heat Tools for Big Jobs” which is exactly what we want attendees at World of Concrete 2025 to know immediately. Large construction projects (“Big Jobs”) need powerful heat tools for a number of applications and lots of target buyers will be at the show.
Calls to action are obvious and direct – visit the booth or buy heat tools. The whole story is told at a glance.
Capture Your Audience!
This is key to success. For example, when geo-fenced trade show attendees start seeing this SF Tools ad on their phones, notice the same striking branding and colors of their trade show booth as they walk by or visit, and then see this ad on aps and websites following the show, they will be more likely have SF Tools top-of-mind when procuring heat tools for their job sites.
Your display advertising is not the place to make people understand the details about your business or product but rather where to plant a single thought quickly and repeatedly. Repetition of your distilled value message causes recall, and having people remember your message at a glance, or the hearing of a phrase, tune or jingle is what great advertising is all about.
