Is Display Dead?

I’m not going to mince words: conventional programmatic prospecting display is dead, if it was ever really alive.

Display is a favorite recommendation of media agencies because it has nearly infinite scale. And since most advertising agencies work on a commission on media spend, they have a – shall we say – “incentive” to recommend channels that can absorb cash.

But in a cookieless world, conventional programmatic prospecting display is dead – if it was ever really alive to begin with. The brand building aspects of programmatic display were always a bit of a reach for most performance marketing applications, but I’m going to go so far as to say that in 2023 and beyond, it has become completely useless.

Now that is not to say that you should never advertising in display. The header of most websites is still a fantastic placement that gets tons of visibility. Same with sticky 320×50 footers on mobile devices. These ads definitely get in front of consumers. But the way to buy them has changed. Gone are the days of dumping money into a 20% IAB visibility 300×250 box on on skibbiltybibbltybee.ca and expecting the fact that it still registers as a ping against your audience list in DoubleClick to mean that you’re reaching your customers.

Google’s Performance Max display also offers interesting possibilities. I’ve mentioned before that I think its performance is overstated, which I still do. But the media it can achieve is so cheap and so ubiquitous that it might still offer good value in producing incremental results by putting a ton of media in front of a ton of users for pennies on the dollar and then trying to whittle-out incrimentality from that.

In conclusion…

Old fashioned programmatic display is dead, and it should be replaced. Ironically, one of the things that should replace it is the even older-fashioned concept of direct buys along with Google Performance Max, which offers an interesting blend of web 1.0 assets and strategies combined with cheap media and a world-leading bidding AI.

Are you running prospecting display through a media agency that’s telling you to spend even more on it? Are you running in other digital channels now but looking to expand into display in a smart and efficient way? Do you not know what any of this even means but want to learn? If so, then contact Meyers Enterprises for a free evaluation of your efforts.

Are you based in Wichita or Kansas City? Even better! We can send a Meyers Enterprises advertising agency professional to meet you and discuss in person.