ChasNote

That’s the prediction at PaidContent, anyway.

“The self-serve ads option has been all the rage for search ads the last few years. Increasingly, now, do-it-yourself is becoming similarly popular for the display ad space.”

I don’t think ad-sales extinction is quite as imminent as reported. “Display ads” in print magazines refer to the glossy ads purchased by brand advertisers to accomplish brand-building goals. When pundits use the term online, they mean graphical banner ads, as opposed to paid-search text ads. Most advertisers, however, are using graphical banners and text ads for the same purpose — direct-response marketing with the singular goal of driving clicks at the lowest CPC. Only a very small percentage of online ad dollars today are designed to build awareness and affinity for brands. I’m a big believer in the promise of DIY ad-buying platforms, but it’s a mistake to assume these services — just because their customers can upload animated banners — are changing the rules, the expectations or the metrics for brand marketing.