Display, native, video or DOOH: which format should you choose?

Four ad formats, four different jobs. Here is what each one does best and how to choose the right one for your campaign.

Most people who ask which format is best are asking the wrong question. The formats do different jobs. The right question is what you want the reader to do after seeing the ad.

Display: when more people should recognise you

Display ads are banners on news sites, at the top of the page, along the side and between articles. Their strength is repetition. The same reader sees your brand several times in a setting they trust.

Choose display when you want to build awareness, or stay top of mind in a market that already knows what you sell.

Native: when you have something to explain

A native ad looks like the newspaper's own articles and sits in the same feed, clearly marked as an ad. It makes the reader stop and read instead of just registering a logo.

Choose native when the offer needs a few sentences to land, or when you have news to tell.

Video: when it should be felt

Video ads are shown in the news sites' own players. Moving images catch the eye faster than a still, and convey a feeling in a few seconds.

Choose video when you already have a film, or when the product has to be shown to be understood. Remember that many people watch without sound. The message has to land anyway.

DOOH: when you want to be seen on location

DOOH is digital screens outdoors: in streets, shopping centres and public transport. The buying is programmatic, so you choose which locations and which times apply.

Choose DOOH when geography is the whole point. A shop, a trade fair or a launch in a particular city.

The best answer is usually a combination

The formats reinforce each other. Someone who has seen your screen in town and then meets your ad in the newspaper already has a picture of you. Start with the format that solves your biggest problem, and add the next one when you see what works.