One key insight, which we have espoused for years, is that taking the time to develop strong online creative is critical. So much so that poor-performing banners don’t merely perform worse than better creative, they actually can negatively impact brand metrics such as awareness, favorability and intent.

Here are some key design and messaging recommendations from Dynamic Logic’s analysis and some of 360i’s thoughts based on our display creative experience:

1. Brand impact is only as strong as brand presence.
Specifically keep your logo on every frame. Intrigue rarely drives awareness and response. The longer the logo appears, the higher the lift in aided awareness. And consumers most likely will not see the logo if it only appears on the product and not prominently within the ad. For example, here is one of the ads we developed for a recent Panasonic campaign. Note that the logo is persistent throughout the interactive animations.

Click image to play ad:

2. Every frame should stand on its own.
Many consumers will only glance at your ad for a moment – and you never know what that moment is. Steven Spielberg directs movies based on the principle that each frame must stand on its own. Pause on any frame of one of his films, and you’ll see a picture-perfect postcard. Ads must be storyboarded the same way. Regardless of industry, banner ads that waited until the lock-up (the final frame) for the big “reveal” proved ineffective.

For instance in consumer-packaged goods, 1 out of the top 20 top performers used the reveal format, while 17 of the bottom 20 performers employed the reveal. Here’s an ad 360i developed for HGTV that included persistent logo and branding throughout the animation, along with a narrative that you could engage with at any point.

Click image to view creative:

3. Keep messaging simple.
Dynamic Logic recommends no more than two simple messages in an ad. One of our clients summed it up very well a few years ago when explaining it to a traditionally minded brand manager. He said that you should think of the banner ad like the teaser message on an envelope of a direct mailer that simply needs to get you to open the mailer and read the content inside. The banner’s sole purpose is to get consumers’ attention. Detailed messaging can occur on the landing page and website.

4. Synchronize online ads with offline creative.
Some consistent element or elements should appear in all creative to reap the frequency benefits of multiple media touch points. Even though you most likely use separate, best-of-breed agencies for offline and online creative, don’t silo your ad campaigns. Make sure you get a 1+1=3 effect from all of your media spend.

*****

We are often called upon by clients to translate offline campaigns to the interactive medium. In doing so, we don’t simply place TV spots on the web, we build upon the campaign concepts inherent in the spots to craft unique, high-performance online campaigns using interactive best practices.

360i client Fasig-Tipton (see site above) enjoyed a big win this weekend when graduate Mine That Bird won the 2009 Kentucky Derby.

Lately, I’ve been writing about banner and Web site trends, as well as announcing creative awards we have won. Today is a little different. I’m honored to congratulate one of 360i’s clients on a win of their own. And it was a big win.

On Saturday, Mine That Bird, a graduate of 360i client Fasig-Tipton — North America’s oldest Thoroughbred auction house — won the 135th Kentucky Derby. The 50-to-1 long shot, brilliantly ridden by Calvin Borel, used the rail in a scintillating stretch run to complete a stunning last-to-first finish.

A graduate of Fasig-Tipton’s 2007 Kentucky Fall Yearlings sale — purchased for only $9,500 –  Mine That Bird is the second consecutive Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearlings sale graduate to capture the American classic, following last year’s victory by Big Brown. Mine That Bird is also the 17th Kentucky Derby winner to be sold by Fasig-Tipton.

360i recently redesigned the Fasig-Tipton site, as well as added “Fasig-Tipton TV” to allow prospective buyers to view horses and live sales. Visit FasigTipton.com to view our work and learn more about this year’s Derby champ.

by David Levin, President of 360i’s Design & Development Group

360i and Marvel Entertainment’s Create Your Own Superhero site has just been nominated for a Webby Award. The highly interactive site enables visitors to fully customize a superhero from start to finish using countless hand-drawn comic assets (headgear, facial features, outfits and accessories). The tool also includes Hero Packs, which allow visitors to use assets from their favorite Marvel characters, such as Iron Man and The Hulk. The site was designed with a backend interface where Marvel staff members can easily upload new character assets and manipulate existing images.

Over 24,000 heroes have already been saved and added to the Marvel.com hero gallery – and new assets are being added regularly. Check out the Create Your Own Superhero site and then cast your vote for the People’s Voice Webby Award.

Here’s how to vote:

1. Visit http://pv.webbyawards.com
2. Please note that you will have to register before you can vote.
3. When you get to the voting page, navigate to “Living” > then “Youth” to find 360i/Marvel.

A recent Adweek article [“Digital Shops Embrace Cheap Chic”] discusses how, given the current economic downturn, interactive agencies are foregoing million-dollar experiential Flash microsites in favor of small sites built on growing social media and CMS platforms, such as WordPress and Drupal.

Drupal and WordPress are the most recent go-to platforms for quick-turnaround microsite development projects. Both have fairly equivalent feature sets, but understanding the differences between Drupal and WordPress can help make an informed decision of which platform is right for your project. (In the interest of full disclosure, I should tell you that we use WordPress to power this blog.)

WordPress

STRENGTHS:
• By far the most popular blogging platform
• Easy to install — even for non-technical users
• Built-in SEO-friendly features
• Huge support community
• Thousands of free skins, design themes and plug-ins to provide additional functionality

POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
• Can have challenges when supporting multiple blogs and authors
• Supports basic social networking tools, but integration of custom community functionality can be time-consuming
• Not strictly designed as a content management system

SUMMARY:
WordPress shines when you primarily want to communicate in one direction only. Integrating deep Web 2.0 functionality that allows users to interact within a community can be difficult.

Drupal

STRENGTHS:
• Built as a true content management framework
• Provides a Content Construction Kit offering basic-level of customization out of the box
• Platform features offer additional customizability and interoperability
• More extensive skins and design theme capabilities

POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
• Steeper learning curve; generally requires more development time
• Includes blogging functionality, but only as part of the overall framework and not as a core feature
• Fewer readily available modules (equivalent of WorPress plug-ins)

SUMMARY:
Drupal is generally a better solution for more complex microsites that include a high degree of social interaction between users.

Ultimately, regardless of which tool you choose, the technology is only the means to an end. A site that is cheap to produce won’t fly without a big idea and creative concept.

360i has won two WebAwards for “Outstanding Achievement in Website Development” from the Web Marketing Association. The WebAwards is an annual website competition that honors the best sites in 96 industries while setting the standard of excellence for all web development. Each WebAward entry is judged on design, innovation, content, technology, interactivity, navigation and ease of use.

360i won for its work on both the adidas baseball website and for the design of Marvel’s “Create Your Own Superhero” site.

The objective of the adidas campaign – centered on the theme “Know the Code” – was designed to engage young ballplayers by educating them about how to play the game, while driving retail sales online. The Code is what defines the game of baseball. It’s the unwritten rules that guide each player to be their best.

360i developed the adidas baseball Web site using on-field photography and video, as well as a subtle baseball-card-like design. This allowed the site’s visitors to explore the baseball ‘Codes’ and associated adidas products throughout the site while enjoying a highly visual experience.

Every “baseball card” on the Web site showcases professional athletes and gives their on-field perspectives of how best to play the game. Product highlights and “buy now” links drive sales to shopadidas.com, adidas’ online store, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, adidas’ strategic retail partner.

The result is an engaging, interactive website that immerses young ballplayers in the Code and associates adidas products with key player attributes: Speed, Power and Hustle.

For Marvel’s Create Your Own Superhero site, 360i built a highly interactive tool enabling consumers to build and fully customize a Superhero from start to finish using countless hand-drawn comic “assets” (such as headgear, facial features, outfits, logos, accessories). The tool also includes “Hero Packs” allowing consumers to use assets from their favorite Marvel characters such as Iron Man and The Hulk.

In addition, users can use a color picker to further style their Hero. After they’ve created their Hero, users can save, send to a friend, print or post to the Marvel.com Hero Gallery. The tool also allows Marvel representative to easily upload and manipulate new character assets, and create new asset categories.

We’re honored to be recognized for our work on behalf of adidas and Marvel – and thanks to WMA for making these awards possible.