Ads That Pay for Themselves

While many consumers tend to ignore banner advertisements on web pages (Ireland & Nash, page 176), just as viewers have learned to ignore other interruption ads like television commercials, candidates for office can still reap value from the ad expenditure.

During the 2004 election cycle I remember seeing John Kerry banners run across the bottom of the Washington Post home page. These ads even took up some of the screen space generally designated for news, although an ‘X’ in the corner offered the option of closing the box.

Apparently I was not the only person to notice these ads, as this article What John Kerry taught us about online advertising shows.

In just a few months, Kerry and the DNC managed to raise more than $3 million from people clicking on banner ads asking them to "Contribute $25 Today!" or "Give $50 Now!"

There is definitely an argument for banner advertising, especially when it can essentially pay for itself. Though not every vistor to a web site notices the ads, it evident that enough do to justify the cost.