The 5 Most Efficient Digital Advertising Types, Mediums, And Examples

Digital Advertising Types Hallmarks

Digital tools have greatly improved the way marketing operates and interacts with people. 

It is no longer a question of publishing a spread in a magazine and crossing your fingers that it works, but rather it is possible to give a specific follow-up to a video, count the reproductions, how many clicks it has received and if any of them have met the objectives that were set. raised.

What seemed like an impossible dream to marketers 40 years ago, we call digital advertising. 

Let’s talk about digital advertising types, how it works, and their different types.

What is digital advertising?

Digital advertising refers to all marketing efforts created for online environments, such as websites, social networks, search engines, streaming services, and others, in all available formats (image, text, audio, video, etc. ).

It has great advantages over traditional advertising because it has the potential to reach larger audiences, its performance can be measured in real-time, while at the same time it feeds on information about the current behavior of the people who could interact with it. 

Also, depending on the format, type of ad, and where it is shown, it requires less investment than other channels, such as print media or television.

Creating, measuring, and monitoring a digital advertising campaign is becoming increasingly simple, thanks to a wide variety of tools, software, platforms, and performance indicators that can be different at each stage. A digital advertising strategy is indeed very flexible and adaptable.   

5 Digital Advertising Types

1. search
2. native
3. email marketing
4. Retargeting
5. display

1. Search

This type of online advertising is also known as search engine marketing (SEM), and it appears in the results displayed by search engines when the user makes a query. 

They are texts that are distinguished by a legend that says “announcement” or “advertising” and are located in place 0 (at the top of the page) or at the bottom.

2. Native

Native digital advertising (or branded content) is a format that seeks to organically integrate an ad into the environment where it will be displayed so that it does not interrupt the user experience, whether on a website or social networks. 

The idea is that the piece not only seeks to generate conversions but also adds value.

An example of this would be a publication in a magazine or newspaper (printed or online) that talks about the benefit of coffee in people’s lives, with real data, but that is requested and paid for by a company that produces coffee. 

It should be added that, although it does not look like advertising, it must indicate to users that it is through a disclaimer in the article, a hashtag, or a legend.

3. Email marketing

It is digital advertising that is carried out by sending emails to a database that the advertiser organizes and segments, according to the matches that each contact has with their buyer personas. 

It has the possibility of personalizing messages for the stages of the buyer, and the intention is that it becomes a means of information, contact, and follow-up of leads and clients of a brand or business.

4. Retargeting

Digital advertising can be very precise, and retargeting (or remarketing) is an example. Thanks to the cookies that websites collect from their visitors, it is possible to create personalized ads that respond to those most recent interactions. 

For example, if someone visits a flight site and searches for a destination but does not make a purchase, the cookies saved from that process will help create ads about a service, product, or destination related to what the lead researched; which will appear when said user enters the digital version of her favorite newspaper or does a search in the browser. 

The intention is that the lead completes the unfinished purchase process or another purchase is made.

5. Display

Display advertising is what we find in applications, social networks, or websites that we immediately identify as banners, bumpers that show a call to action, or that open videos that play automatically. 

This is contracted through ad managers such as Google Display Ads, which is in charge of finding the most convenient and available spaces, according to the market segment, the format, and the objective of the advertising campaign.

5 Digital Advertising Mediums

1. Social networks
2. streaming media
3. Audio
4. Mobile
5. Video

1. Social networks

It is the one that appears on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, and TikTok and follows the guidelines of each of the platforms to achieve the goals of each advertiser.

2. Streaming media

This type of digital advertising is available for those media known as free transmission or  OTT, and that is seen on smart televisions, for example, events that are shared on Twitch, Fire TV, or IMDb TV. 

3. Audio

It’s the kind of advertising you hear on the free versions of platforms like Spotify, between songs, and when starting or ending podcast chapters.

4. Mobile

It is digital advertising created especially to be appreciated on mobile devices, which sometimes you will not be able to see on a desktop computer. That speaks volumes about the popularity smartphones have in people’s lives.

5. Video 

Online videos can be out-stream, which are those that appear on websites or applications, and in-stream, which we see before, during, or after playing audiovisual content.

Now we go to the section that really interests you: examples of digital advertising!

5 Examples of Effective Digital Advertising

1. Nike with email marketing
2. LinkedIn and Microsoft Targeted Advertising
3. Walmart Mobile Ads on Wired
4. Hostgator Videos on YouTube
5. Invictus Retargeting

1. Nike with Email Marketing

Email marketing deals with serving all customers and prospects of a company, no matter if it is for the first contact or to remind them how important their loyalty means. 

A good example of this is the messages that Nike sends to members of its loyalty program, which rewards them on their birthday.

2. LinkedIn and Microsoft Targeted Advertising

LinkedIn is the social network for those who want to increase their professional connections, so the market that spends time there has interests related to their careers, the tools that can improve them, and the skills they need to grow. That is why it is not surprising to see these types of ads in the feed:

3. Walmart Mobile Ads Magazine Sites

And since we are talking about magazines, it is the opportunity to show how different ads appear on the mobile version of the same kind of sites than those displayed on the desktop version. 

In this case, it is advertising for a supermarket that invites visitors to order their groceries from their cell phones.

4. Hostgator Videos on YouTube

Before a video starts playing on YouTube, Hostgator will display a pre-roll ad for a few seconds, until the skip button appears. 

In addition to the video and explanation you share, there is a call to action (CTA) on the left side of the screen, directing interested people to a landing page.

5. Pomellato display advertising

This example is a page-stealing display ad, which is easily integrated with the rest of the elements of the home page (in this case from Wired ), so as not to interrupt the reading of visitors and, thus, prevent it from being blocked or hidden.