Display Advertising Trends 2021: Key Stats and Insights
5 min read

Display Advertising Trends 2021: Key Stats and Insights

Display advertising trends in 2021 are both fascinating and varying. According to the latest eMarketer research, US display advertising is predicted to grow 27.5% in 2021, to a total spend of $108.53 billion. And around the world it is a similar story – display advertising continues to grow.

However, the challenges to engage viewers and drive conversions remain. Therefore, we are proud to present our latest insights into display advertising over the past 18 months.

These are the facts, now act on them

In this article, we will touch on the following topics of interest, all of which are explored more thoroughly in our report:

  1. Why are mobile devices the place to be seen for your display ads?
  2. How does adding a video increase click-through rate?
  3. How can a data feed help to personalise your campaigns?
  4. Which key shopping days do you need to focus on?
  5. What are the top performing display ad sizes?
  6. How did the 2020 UEFA European Championship impact display advertising trends?

Download Display Advertising Trends 2021

Download our 2021 Display Advertising report to gain the full picture and discover how your marketing team can get ahead of the competition and boost its display advertising performance.

1. Why are mobile devices the place to be seen for your display ads?

Display advertising trends 2021 mobile vs desktop

Mobile devices and display advertising are a perfect match and so it remains in our latest display advertising trends report. Smartphones account for 60% of all display ad views in 2020. While, desktop ad views dropped -10%. The rise and rise of mobile advertising appears unstoppable but it does vary, and continues to do so… 

What are mobile display ads?

Mobile display ads are ads which are optimised for mobile devices. They are specific sizes of responsive HTML5 display ads that feature copy and creative elements tailored for mobile interactions with consumers. They are also particular sizes of display ad; 320×50 for example.

Device usage in 2021 so far…

Mobile display advertising continues to remain the number one location for your display ads to be seen. However, across certain industries – for example, Financial Services, mobile devices aren’t quite proving quite as popular, with a notable decline in impressions. See for yourself in our report.

2. How does adding a video increase click-through rate?

Display advertising trends 2021 video

During the long pandemic year – and since – adding a video to your campaign creatives has proved a useful and engaging strategy. Indeed, in 2019 we found that display ads that used video as part of their creative received 68% better CTR. During 2020 that number increased further to a stunning 85%! And across industries the numbers are even more impressive!

What is in-banner video?

In-banner video is a video clip that exists within a display ad. It uses the space provided for an HTML5 ad to deliver a video that is either part of the HTML5 animation of a display ad, or provides the viewer with the choice to view a full video. It can be a cost-effective way of delivering video content and reusing creative elements.

Use of video in display advertising in 2021 so far…

During 2021, the impact of the video within a display ad is becoming even more pronounced, with increases across industries and overall. To see the industries most affected by the use of video within a display campaign download the full report.

Display Advertising Trends 2021 download button

3. How can a data feed help to personalise your campaigns?

Display advertising trends 2021 data feeds

The use of data feeds continues to grow year-on-year, with 15% of all impressions during 2020 from ads featuring a data feed. The number was 14% in 2019 (and it continues to grow).

These dynamic ads offer brands the opportunity to easily add a personalised element to their campaign and with the right ad tech are far easier to produce than you think. Not only that but our report data has found notable increases in CTR, across a range of different industries.

What are data feeds in display advertising?

A data feed enables a live display ad to showcase a variety of different types of dynamic content. Meaning different ads from the same campaign can run different ad creative, depending on the information supplied from a data source (or even multiple sources). For example, the latest sports odds, or live product stocklists.

They are a brilliant and cost-effective way of enabling the basic personalisation of display campaigns, and for live ads to remain relevant without republishing. You can read more about using data feeds for personalising display advertising here.

Date feed usage in 2021 so far…

So far the use of data feeds continues to grow as the need for ever greater personalisation is prioritised by brands across the globe. In particular, one industry benefiting from greater use of data feeds is Entertainment, which has seen its use of feeds grow by 19% – alongside a growth in CTR. Check out the report for more information.

4. Which key shopping days do you need to focus on?

Display advertising trends 2021 key shopping days

One display advertising trend that looks set to remain essential is the need for brands to make the most of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. One of the most breathtaking stats we found during 2020 was that on average all ads – across industries – see an uplift of 85% compared to any average day during the year. But that’s not all – some industries even saw uplift of 450%! Find out which in the report.

What are key shopping days?

Key shopping days are when consumers spend, spend, spend. And to put it bluntly: click, click, click! For traditional retailers, e-commerce, telecom, travel and media businesses they are some of the most important dates of the year for trading.

However, not all shopping days are the same. For example, some brands may consider Valentine’s Day to be a key shopping day – well, the lead up and the weeks before are important – yet the day itself sees little in the way of increased views and CTR. On the other hand, Black Friday and Cyber Monday are very different beasts! Read more about key shopping days here.

Looking ahead to the 2021 holiday season

One thing has changed during the pandemic is the length of Black Friday and Cyber Monday – they are now stretched out over five days minimum. And in some cases the entire month of November – therefore, retailers must strategically make sure they maintain shoppers’ interest. And of course one of the best ways to do this is with agile display advertising that uses creative scheduling and product-focused data feeds!

5. What are the top performing display ad sizes?

Display advertising trends 2021 display ad sizes

As with the popularity of mobile devices for ad views in 2021 so it is the case that this is reflected in the top display ad sizes.

Once again the top 5 banner sizes are all mobile sizes, with the humble 300×250 banner ad the top served ad. A stunning 25.6% of all ads served via Bannerflow in 2020 were this particular format.

Why are there so many different sizes of display ads?

Each display ad size or format is designed to fit a particular space on a webpage – known as ad inventory. Over time some sizes of ad inventory have become more popular. There are also regional variations in display ad size popularity.

6. How did the 2020 UEFA European Championship impact display advertising trends?

Download our Display Advertising Trends Euro 2020 2

Delayed for a year because of Corona, display advertising (particualry in Europe) was massively impacted by the tournament. Indeed, over the length of the tournament mobile share, CTR of ads with data feeds and overall impressions increased considerably compared to the weeks before the tournament.

In fact, the top performing day for ad views in 2021 (so far) is Tuesday 29th June – which for keen football followers was a key date in the tournament. It was of course the day Englang played their arch-rivals Germany, a game which has a lot of history. And this day recorded 30% more impressions compared to an average day!

Display advertising trends 2021 – top performing day in the euros

Looking ahead to the next big event

To see the complete breakdown of unique insights check out the bonus section of the display advertising trends report for 2021. What the stats show is that big multi-nation porting events have a seismic affect on the performance of display campaigns.

However, not all events have the same overall impact. This summer also saw the latest Olympic Games in Tokyo and in comparison to Euro 2020 its impact on display was less noticeable. Euro 2020 with its guaranteed match times, fewer events, and easier to follow narrative seems much more fitting for how some advertisers operate – particularly, iGaming brands.

And with the FiFA World Cup only next year – now is the time to take notice of our findings and get your display strategy ready for what could prove the most important sporting event of 2022.

Finally, a note of data sources: All statistics featured in this blog and in the report are based on aggregated and anonymised Bannerflow customer data for the year 2020, plus January 2021 to August 2021. It offers insight into the patterns – and forces– driving display advertising. We hope you download and enjoy the insights we found!

Download Display Advertising Trends 2021

Download our 2021 Display Advertising report to gain the full picture and discover how your marketing team can get ahead of the competition and boost its display advertising performance.

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