When we start talking to clients about digital ads, we often get a very specific question: You mean those annoying pop-up banners? It’s a fair question. We’ve all seen our favorite websites get bogged down with spammy, low-effort ads. But here’s the bright side: as the web gets better, so do web ads. Let’s take a look at HTML5.
HTML is the language of the internet. Your browser translates that language into text, photos, videos — everything you see on a page. Over time, that language has become much more sophisticated. Think about a website today versus 10 years ago. HTML5 is the latest version of that language and it offers brands a lot more tools to work with for their online ads.
Some of these tools are purely cosmetic: smooth animations, dynamic color palettes, countdown clocks, carousel effects. But others have functionality that makes ads smarter. Promoting a big event? Add a live countdown clock right on the ad. Selling a product online? Add a product collection to the ad. The real potential of HTM5 is not more ads, but better ads. Clients are always asking us, “how can we do more with less?” And as we look back on some of our most recent campaigns, HTML5 ads give us the flexibility to answer that question with confidence and data.