There was a time, in another century, when people used to click on banner ads.

The first banner was purchased on HotWired in 1994 by AT&T, it was forward-thinking, experimental, and set off a chain reaction that altered the course of the advertising industry.

44% of people who saw it clicked on it.

But almost 30 years on, why are we still using the same format?

With a clickthrough rate of 0.05%, data proves you’re more likely to survive a plane crash than to click on a banner ad.

After a while, people just tuned banner ads out, they’re now like a wallpaper in the background.

Digital media has changed the way we look at the world and our expectations of how quickly things should change.

It’s time we find a better model than interruptions that add to the clutter.

A model that matches the shift in consumer behaviour, a model not just to generate traffic, but that provides a gateway to immersive experiences.

While as digital marketers, we can dream of 44% clickthrough rates, the reality is, that what’s new one day and works, isn’t and doesn’t the next.

One of the reasons the first banner saw such a huge success was that AT&T's campaign represented about $50m in spend across an integrated campaign, including TV, radio, and print.

Consumer awareness of the campaign ran high, with the creatives across channels not created by multiple agencies in silos.

The banner wasn’t the only first, the landing page built was also a transformative experience.

Users saw the ad in the arts section of Hotwired. Rather than clicking straight through to sell, the landing page was built as a virtual tour of the world's greatest museums, keeping with the overall campaign theme of ‘have you ever’.

The advert wasn’t just created as a message to consumers, it was an experience.

While we may not be able to invent the next display banner, it shouldn’t stop us from trying.

Creativity and innovation need to be at the forefront of digital advertising, otherwise, it’ll only ever be an interruption that adds to the clutter.

There are some publishers / Ad Tech companies, I’m lucky enough to have talked to and worked with who I do feel are facing these issues head-on.

I’d love to discuss further what the next version of the display banner may just look like.