It is quite obvious that the Google display ad business has been flourishing for the past few years. While visiting different websites online, you will get to see multiple ads relevant to your search history, location, and a lot of other factors. Google knows what people like and it has done a great job of using this knowledge to make its ads very effective. It knows how to look at search history and base its ads on users’ interests, which is why it can push products at just the right time.
We usually get to see a lot of Google ads every day. I don’t even remember most of them as I don’t find them appealing at all. Instead, I feel irritated that they are covering the content of the website. So, most of the time I end up reporting the ad to make sure that it never pops up on any website that I visit. However, the other day, I visited one of the most popular Indian entertainment websites named PinkVilla. This time, I couldn’t help but pause for a while to click on the ad to see what it has for me.
Later, when I realized that this is one of those very few times when I get curious about some display ad instead of reporting it, I tried to understand what made me click on the ad. Here is the ad I am talking about.
For most people, it might be a very simple ad but I think it is quite appealing for several reasons. First of all, it has a good enough size and still, it wasn’t covering any content of the website. It is a large rectangle 336*280 that is one of the top-performing ad sizes according to Google.
Moreover, the ads we mostly see are stuffed with a lot of images or words. But that is certainly not the case here. I found the ad simple yet appealing as it has one full image and one close-up image. Both the images illustrate the products available on the site. But at the same time, it doesn’t distract the reader from the text.
Since the winter season has just started, it is the right time for this ad to be shown everywhere on the websites. There are millions of people around the world who are looking for cozy trousers and shirts at this time of the year.
The other best thing about this ad is the minimal and simple text that grabs the attention of the reader within a second. At the left side image, the text “Gentle Herd” is the name of the brand while at the right side, it says “100% Cashmere” which is the specialty of the brand. It is one of those few brands that source the fabric “Cashmere” and “Wool” from the largest pasture- Inner Mongolia. This area is known for its abundant grass and water that help provide sheep herds with the best care and comfortable environment.
The power of the brand “Gentle Herd” lies in its ability to add the texture of nature into your wardrobe for the best wearing of the winter season. So, when I came across this ad and read “100% Cashmere” written on the close-up image of the trouser, I couldn’t restrain myself from having a detailed look at it by visiting the website.
When it comes to the selection of the color palette for a specific ad, I think this ad has played safe yet smart. Instead of experimenting with bright or neon colors, it has used simple colors like grey and white. These colors demonstrate the winter vibes perfectly as this season is supposed to be cozier, lighter, and sweeter.
However, there is room for improvement in the selection of font and placement of text. The text could be more visible if a distinctive font would have been chosen instead of the extremely thin one, especially on the right side image. Similarly, the placement of text could be different to make the overall display of the ad more striking.
Another flaw in the ad is that it lacks the call of action for its audience. When I visited the website, it was offering a 25% off Black Friday sale. So, the display ad could have the text suggesting a limited offer to drive action.
Despite the negative aspects, I cannot deny the fact that this display ad has a great appeal. I will stick to my opinion that this ad cannot only attract those who are in dire need of cozy trousers made with natural and pure fabric but also those who might not need anything new but still won’t be able to resist the urge of buying such unique items to add variety to their wardrobe.
