Digital web banners are such an interesting creative platform. It’s amazing how often they are underutilized. The options are literally endless, yet most ads boil down to blinking text and a button or a simple template of slide a, slide b, and slide c. Here are a few ways to take digital display to the next level.

Plotographs and Cinemagraphs

Plotographs and Cinemagraphs are an underused favorite at Quantifi Digital. The concepts are simple – take a still photo and turn it into a video, or take a video and turn it into a still image with a short animated element. They can be a unique challenge because of video file size restrictions, but these types of animation styles are very effective when used appropriately.

Subtle Animated Elements

Sometimes simplicity and subtlety are key. Take one element in your ad and make it move. Crazy blinking text or movement isn’t always the appropriate route. Quantifi Digital’s Director of Digital Strategy, Nate Warnecke, had a dream where an ad’s only moving element was a dog wagging its tail in the background. Recently, we were able to effectively make that dream a reality.

Unique Type Treatments

Typography is a truly special part of an advertisement. It conveys the most important information on the ad, and if you can do it in a special way, it will help sell your ad in a more concrete way. Want to show teeth whitening without showing gross teeth? Make your text turn from yellow to white. Football season? Have a football player lead your ad out like a fullback opening holes for his tailback. Use your text to give the feeling that your ad wants to convey.