What is a display ad and how does it work?

A display ad is a visual ad format (using images, video, and text) shown across websites, apps, and social platforms. These ads are typically delivered through ad networks that place your creative in front of audiences based on targeting signals like interests, behavior, demographics, and context. When a user browses content, the ad is served in placements such as banners, sidebars, or in-feed units. The goal is to drive awareness and actions like clicks to a landing page or purchases, while performance is tracked through impressions, clicks, and conversions.

What are the main benefits of display advertising for brand campaigns?

Display ads boost brand visibility by placing your message on high-traffic sites and social feeds, reaching users where they spend time. They offer precise targeting (demographics, interests, behavior, and location) to focus budget on audiences most likely to convert. Pricing is cost-effective, often using CPM (cost per thousand impressions), which helps scale reach efficiently. Real-time analytics show metrics like impressions, click-through rate (CTR), and conversions, enabling quick optimizations. Together, these benefits make display ideal for building awareness and nurturing users toward action throughout the customer journey.

Which types of display ads should brands consider in 2025?

Three proven types are worth prioritizing. Site placement advertising lets you hand-pick websites or platforms that match your audience: great for brand safety and contextual relevance. Remarketing (retargeting) shows ads to people who visited your site or social profiles but didn’t convert, nudging them back to complete a purchase or sign-up. Contextual advertising places ads on pages whose content aligns with your message, ensuring relevance without relying solely on user-level data. Combining these approaches typically delivers stronger reach, relevance, and conversion rates.

How does display ad pricing work and how should I set a budget?

Most display campaigns use CPM (cost per mille), meaning you pay a set amount for every 1,000 impressions. To budget, estimate your required reach and back into cost: Budget ≈ (Target impressions ÷ 1,000) × CPM. Then layer in performance goals (like CPC or CPA) to guide bid caps and pacing. Start with a test budget, measure CTR and conversion rate, and scale what works. Use frequency caps to avoid overserving, and consider a mix of prospecting (broader reach) and remarketing (higher intent) to balance efficiency and growth.

What makes a high-performing display ad example?

Strong display ads are clear, visual, and action-oriented. Use a compelling image or short video that communicates value quickly, a concise headline with a single benefit, and a direct call-to-action (e.g., Shop Now, Get a Demo). Ensure brand elements (logo, colors) are visible at a glance. Match creative to audience: contextual pages get relevant messaging, while remarketing ads reference viewed products or categories. Keep file sizes light for fast load, test multiple variants (A/B), and align the landing page with the ad’s promise to maintain continuity and improve conversions.

Best Display Ad Examples for Brand Campaigns 2025

Display ads are a worthwhile investment for any brand. They reach diverse audiences and have a high return on investment. It is important to understand display advertising, examples, and how they work for a brand’s marketing efforts. This is what we explore in this article. Ready to get started? Please join us.

What is a Display Ad?

Display advertising is a form of advertising that helps organizations to showcase their products and services on different platforms visually. Display ads motivate users to take specific actions like visiting a landing page or completing a purchase. Display advertising allows users to integrate images, videos, and text to pass their message.

Display ads appear online as users browse and show up based on their interests and topics. What are the benefits of display ads?

Benefits of Display Ads

The advantages of display advertising include:

Optimized brand visibility: Display ads are strategically placed on websites and social media platforms to optimize audience engagement.
Targeted reach: Display ads allow users to target specific demographics, behaviors, and locations. This implies brands can focus on running display ads that are most likely to convert.
Display ads are cost-effective: Display advertising has a lower cost per impression. Brands can set their budget and opt for various pricing models based on their needs.
Display advertising allows real-time analytics: Through display ads, brands get access to real-time analytics. Through display advertising, metrics like conversions, impressions, and click-through rates can be used for>Site placement advertising allows brands to select specific websites or platforms where their ads should appear. This type of display ad is common for brands hoping to call to action a specific target market.
2. Remarketing/Retargeting Display Advertising
Remarketing display ads are shown to users who have visited a brand’s website or social media platform previously but did not convert. After leaving the brand’s website, a remarketing ad appears on your feed. Remarketing display ads nurture a brand’s audience into completing a conversion or making another purchase.
3. Contextual Display Advertising
Contextual display advertising is made on a website that is relevant to the brand’s content. Contextual advertising operates by matching a website’s content with the content of an ad. In other words, contextual ads display relevant ads based on the content of a page.
Display Ad Pricing Explained: How It Works and What You Should Know
The most common pricing technique of display ads is based on their CPM (cost per mille) value. As known as cost per thousand impressions, CPM refers to the ad spend for every 1,000 impressions the ad receives. In this pricing model, the advertiser (brand) pays after a target number of users have interacted with the ad and impressions made.
Therefore, when seeking influencers for display ad collaboration, it is crucial to consider the pricing model. The agreement should be a performance-based system where you pay for successful search ads.
Elements of the Best Display Ads
The best display ads include animated ads, interactive ads, banner or static ads, video ads, and expanding ads.
1. Static or Banner Display Ads
One of the examples of display ads is static ads, which appear on the side, top, or bottom of a web page. These ads can be animated, static, and contain images, text, or both. Static display ads are saved as PNG or JPEG files and are easy to create and load.
An example static display ad is a horizontal banner promoting a brand’s product on an influencer’s platform.
2. Interactive Display Ads
Another example of display advertising is interactive ads, which engage users through clickable forms, elements, or other interactive features. Interactive ads are built using HTML5 and optimize user participation. Examples of interactive ads include prompting users to complete a survey or enjoy a simple game.
3. Animated Display Ads
Animated display ads use motion to capture a user’s attention. Animated display ads use between 5 and 10 seconds of looping video or GIF to attract a user’s attention. Animated ads are created as HTML5 or GIF files and display multiple frames, allowing for complex messaging.
4. Video Display Ads
Video ads are another straightforward example of display ads. Video ads feature longer videos compared to animated display ads. Brands use sound and moving visuals to engage their audience.
5. Expanding Display Ads
Expanding display ads grow in size as the audience interacts with them. Expanding display ads appear small and later expand when the user clicks on them or scrolls over them. Expandable display ads include a mobile phone ad on a blog, which expands after a user clicks it, showing a 360-degree interior view.
Where are Display Ads Found?
Even though online advertising can be implemented on vast networks, display ads is mainly used in the following platforms:
- X (Twitter)
- Facebook
- Google display network
Display Ad Examples
Understanding advertising examples is crucial for running successful campaigns. Which are the best examples of display ads? Join us as we discuss these examples.
1. Instapage
In display advertising, simplicity is a virtue. Instapage makes a great effort to get their audience’s attention in the ad above. Instapage uses bold contrast and clear printing that attracts a viewer’s attention.
So why is Instapage’s ad an excellent display ad example?
- Expanding display ad, which expands once the viewer clicks or scrolls over it.
- Bold colors and print.
2. Apple TV
Another of the best display ad examples is the Ap...