Display advertising
banner advertisingDisplay advertising means image and banner ads shown on websites and apps belonging to ad networks. The largest network is Google’s Display Network, covering millions of sites. Payment is usually based on impressions.
Good to know
Display is the cheapest mass visibility: a thousand impressions in Finland typically cost 1–4 €. The trade-off is the weakest attention quality of any channel, as banners are seen from the corner of the eye and click rates stay in fractions of a percent. That makes display best as a reminder, not a first contact.
Its most effective use is remarketing and tightly defined audiences: site visitors, cart abandoners or lookalikes of your best customers. In broad delivery, placement hygiene decides whether budget leaks into junk app inventory.
IN PRACTICE
Where display works
Remarketing
Reminding site visitors is display’s most profitable use: the audience already knows the brand and clicks are cheap.
Air support for a launch
A new product’s awareness is built with cheap impressions before capturing demand from search.
Precise special audiences
Trade sites and interest audiences reach a narrow group in a context where the topic is already on their mind.
PITFALLS
Two ways to waste a display budget
Placements go uncleaned
Automatic delivery favours cheap app impressions nobody sees. The placement report shows where your ads actually run.
Display is measured in clicks
A banner’s value is the memory trace, not the click. Measure reach, branded search growth and assisted conversions.
FREQUENTLY ASKED
Frequently asked questions
What does display advertising cost?+
In Finland, CPM typically runs 1–4 € in the Google network and 5–15 € in premium media bought directly. A cheap price without placement control is expensive.
Why is banner CTR so low?+
Banner blindness is real: people filter ad slots out of their vision. A CTR in fractions of a percent is normal, and the click is not display’s main metric.
What is the difference between display and native?+
Display stands out as an ad in its own slot; native blends into the medium’s content flow. Native earns more attention, display more repetition for less.
What kind of banners work?+
A clear benefit, a recognisable brand and one call to action graspable in a second. Animation lifts attention, but the message must work as a still.
Do I need display if I already run social ads?+
Not necessarily: social covers the same reminding job. Display complements when you want the audience outside social or in premium media.
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Maintained by the VSCY editorial team · Updated 6 Aug 2026 · Part of the marketing glossary (99 terms)
