Static Ads Vs. Dynamic Ads
It’s no secret that in the last 15 years, our attention span has gotten shorter. In fact, it went from 12 seconds in 2000 to hardly 8 in 2015. That’s just part of the reason why advertising and marketing have developed. Technology has also led to some interesting ways to target your audience.
One of those methods happens to be dynamic ads. We see them all the time, but not everyone has registered that they are different from static ads. These ads are important to distinguish because they are specially designed for the viewer.
Whether you are a consumer or you are a business owner, understanding what they are can make a huge difference between continuing to buy a product or being successful in selling one. So, let’s compare them side by side and see what they have to offer plus their drawbacks.
Dynamic Ads Vs. Static Ads: What Are They?
First, let’s get proper definitions and understanding of what the ads are. Then knowing why they are used and how is key.
Dynamic Advertising
Dynamic advertising is interesting because it’s an advertisement that is seen differently amongst different views. The ad itself will continually change to show the shopper or viewer an image or video that is more relevant to them than someone else viewing the advertisement. The idea is that it is extremely targeted advertising as the seller tries to appeal to the buyer.
Because they require data feed to operate, they are a bit more complicated. In order to tailor the ad to who is viewing it, you need to have some information about what they are interested in and their demographic in some cases.
Benefits of Using Dynamic Ads
- It creates brand loyalty since you are advertising towards an audience you know is already interested in the services you are providing.
- It generates good user feedback since the ads have personal touches to them. Typically it’s easier to convert leads this way.
Drawbacks
- Using dynamic ads means you need to constantly keep changing them based on user data. This can be a lot of work and end up costing a lot more money because of the ongoing work.
Static Advertising
Static advertising is the complete opposite of dynamic advertising. This is an ad that is viewed in the exact same way no matter who is seeing it. It doesn’t matter if you are sitting at your computer in America while someone is opening their phone in India. The advertisement will look identical. TV commercials can be an example of static advertising. Though don’t be fooled; they can be dynamic too as the difference between dynamic ads vs. static ads is location specific.
Benefits of Using Static Ads
- It does not take complex effort to make an ad like this and therefore it will not cost much. Minimal effort for potentially a big reward.
- Because of how simplistic static ads are it’s easy to keep the content in house. And even if you have to hire out an ad consultant it is inexpensive.
Drawbacks
- There is limited creativity with this type of ad so it’s not uncommon for the audience to disengage or ignore the ad altogether because it simply is an ad.
When Would You Use One Over The Other?
Naturally, some people think dynamic marketing is the way to go because of its tailor-made approach. But static has its benefits too. There are different situations where it makes more sense to use one over the other.
Dynamic Advertising
- Great for retailers that are selling specific products to customers. A buyer’s journey is going to be different to some degree from buyer to buyer. Making them feel important as an individual or targeting their exact tastes is an easier way to sell.
- These ads allow you to run multiple promotions at once. Again different promotions work for different people. Some may care more for 50% off cookware, while others want to
- buy 30% off furniture. Their search history is the easiest way to tell you what they are looking for.
- Dynamic ads work best with loyal customers. It is a strategy meant to convert warm leads. So they work well for businesses that already have established customer bases. They work slightly less well for businesses that are just starting out.
- Not everyone speaks the same language. Dynamic advertising allows for the exact same ad to be translated so that people around the world can understand what it is they are trying to sell.
Static Advertising
- Easy for a lower-cost budget because of its simplicity to run an ad. You only need a few elements to make it work. There is no need for computing data or taking money to create multiple ads.
- To make a static ad, you need an image, a headline, or a title to accurately describe your company so people know where to find you and a call to action. What should the viewer do when viewing your ad?
- Static ads sometimes bring people together under one common message. Being relatable is a company’s biggest asset, and to relate, there needs to be a common theme rather than a personalized approach. Because of this, they can reach a much larger audience without spending too much time or commitment.
- Static ads are easy to build, and you can choose whether you want to hire someone who has a lot of experience or is somewhat of a beginner for a better price.
Examples of Static and Dynamic Ads
There is no better way to understand the difference between static and dynamic ads than seeing examples under each category. Here are some great examples of programmatic advertising.
Dynamic
Dynamic ads are incredibly prevalent in our social media streams today. These are some of the top places you’ll see them.
- Social Media Feeds: Social media feeds may be the easiest to understand today. Sponsored posts are tailored ads made just for your feed based on what you like, watch, and repost. Your sponsored posts likely will look like what you Google searched for earlier that day or week.
Compare your Instagram feed next to your friends and notice how the ads are completely different. You may see the same ad from similar companies, but the message or branding differs. - RSS Feeds/Blogs: You may see advertising in your RSS feeds or blogs that you visit. The ads you see can be either dynamic or static, but most of the time, they have tailored ads again based on your search history. These are the ads that pop up in between paragraphs and so on.
- Personalized Emails: Email sequencing is a part of a dynamic advertising strategy. The thought is that you will send the right email at the right stage of the buyer’s journey. For instance, someone who has left something in their cart will get a reminder email to check out, whereas someone who has just joined the loyalty program will get a welcome email.
- Static: Static is often considered to be more traditional in advertising. This was pre-social media and technology.
- Billboards: Billboards are one of the most straightforward ways to understand a static advertisement. All the cars driving by will see the exact same thing. If the advertisement is a picture, this is the most simple form of a static ad. Billboards are similar to ot
- Most TV Commercials:TV commercials for the most part are static advertisements. Everyone around that area is getting the same commercial. There is no individual experience that each TV will have. Having said that, technically different areas may have different languages or commercials that are more relevant to their area. This is rare and is not really dynamic advertising.
- Banners: Another great example of a static advertisement is a banner. This can be the ones you see attached to places moving through the sky or elsewhere. These are the exact same as billboards except they may be more flexible in moving their location to reach a great audience. Other than that, it remains static.
- Print Ads: Print ads are just a smaller version of billboards. They are simple and can’t change based on the fact that it is printed. It can be in newspapers, magazines, books, and so on. Once they are printed this is the final product until the next ad.
Why This Matters For Your Brand
Understanding the difference between static and dynamic ads can make a huge difference in the success you have getting the consumer all the way through the buyer’s journey. This is because companies need to know when to spend money and offer something more personal and when to advertise to the masses.
Capitalizing on brand loyalty once you get it is huge. That’s why dynamic ads that are personal can be the playmaker in more conversions. Having said that, there is also a time and place for static ads. Sometimes getting the message across in a simple manner is all you need. Using a combination of the both is usually how to maximize getting to your audience.
