Do: Integrate with the content
You hear the drum beat of relevance over and over again in digital, and homepage takeovers are no exception. In fact, the scale of a takeover only heightens the need for relevance, according to Sheila Buckley, VP of national ad sales at The Weather Channel Interactive.
"[The] advertiser [should] tie [their message] into the surrounding page's content, preferably using large branding ads,” Buckley says, adding that increased relevance helps the ad make more sense to the user, which in turn makes the message more effective.
One recent example Buckley points to is a Wal-Mart campaign that ran in conjunction with Earth Day.
While Wal-Mart's takeover earned it the right to buy all the ad slots, the real coup, according to Buckley, was that Wal-Mart was able to position itself as an eco-friendly brand by literally "greening" The Weather Channel's leader board. For regular visitors to the site, the big change is that the content has suddenly become green (compliments of Wal-Mart). The ad itself is almost secondary. It's how the brand engages with the content that really matters.
Do: Keep it simple
Even the best ads fail to engage the majority of users. That may be disheartening for advertisers to hear, but it's also an important thing to keep in mind when considering a homepage takeover, because you always want to leave casual viewers with some takeaway, says Jed Breger, media director at Beeby Clark + Meyler.
"A common mistake is to make homepage creative units highly complex, only delivering a message to those consumers who completely engage with the ad to the very end," Breger explains. "Homepage ad experiences that work hard upfront will move brand metrics in a homepage takeover format.”
According to Breger, takeovers that begin quickly with non-static creatives stand a much better chance of imparting some message to a user who might just be on their way to the next website in the middle of your ad.
As an example, Breger points to a recent homepage takeover on MSNBC.com. The campaign was designed to help GE promote its green initiatives through a series of high-profile sponsored conversations. In this example, GE Chairman and CEO Jeff Immelt chats with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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