Several different terms referring to Web advertising (WA) are used interchangeably in the
literature. Although Internet advertising seems the most general and broad term, Web advertising is
the most widely used term in the academic literature. Furthermore, Web advertising is more specific
and excludes some advertising formats that are not Webbased (e.g., email, newsgroup commercials,
etc.).
The majority of literature on WA has focused on several traditional formats such as banners,
pop-ups, hyperlinks, interstitials, and so forth (e.g., Bezjian-Avery, Calder, & Iacobucci,
1998; Brackett & Carr, 2001; Cho & Leckenby, 1999; Hoffman & Novak, 1996, Raman &
Leckenby, 1998, etc.). This research stream resides within the mass-media research tradition that
positions the Web as a medium, similar to newspapers, magazines, TV, and so on (Hwang, McMillan,
& Lee, 2002). From this perspective, the researchers regard the Web site as a carrier of
advertising messages in the formats referred to above. By contrast, other researchers have employed a broader stance toward the concept of WA, which
includes the Web site as a format of WA. Singh and Dalal (1999) insisted that corporate home pages
should be regarded as a form of advertising based on the comparison between the functional,
physical, and conceptual characteristics of WA and traditional advertising. Other researchers
(e.g., Bruner II & Kumar, 2000; Hwang, McMillan, & Lee, 2002; Rodgers & Thorson, 2000;
Stevenson, Bruner II, & Kumar, 2000) also included the Web site in the realm of Web advertising
(see Rodgers & Thorson, 2000, for detailed information about the difference between the Web
site and other WA formats). Several representative formats of Web advertising are summarized in
WA format Description Banners Rectangular-shaped graphics, usually located at the top or bottom of a Web page. Although
banners generally appear in a horizontal position, vertical banners have increasingly appeared in
the left- or right-side of the screen. Larger banners are about 7 inches wide by 1 inch deep, and
smaller banners are about half as wide by 1 inch deep. Interstitials Full-screen ads that run in their entirety between two content Web pages. Interstitials
interrupt the user’s interactive experience, because they tend to run while the user waits for a
page to download. Users have less control over interstitials, for there is usually no exit option
to stop or delete an interstitial. Pop-ups and Pop-unders A separate window over or under the content that is already on the user’s screen. As compared
to the interstitials, pop-ups are more likely to interrupt user’s Web experiences by concealing the
content a user interacts with. However, the pop-unders are less likely to interrupt the navigation
due to their placement under the content a user experiences. Both can be easily avoided by clicking
the exit button on the right upper corner of the window. Sponsorship An indirect form of persuasion that allows companies to carry out marketing objectives by
associating with key content (Rodgers, 2000, p.1). The content of Web sponsorship is not much
different from sponsorship in traditional media simply identifying brand name or slogan; the former
can be interactive, such that a click of the mouse sends a visitor to the homepage of the sponsor.
Hyperlinks Also referred to as hypertext link. Simply a highlighted word, phrase, or graphic that allows
users to move to another Website by clicking on the hyperlink. Often embedded in the content itself
without taking up large space like banners and pop-ups. Thus, relatively many hyperlinks can appear
in a single Web page. It also enforces the user’s control over the navigation. Websites A carrier of other WA formats as well as a format of WA itself. It affords greater
opportunities of experiences than any other WA formats (Rodgers and Frisby, 1998). Because WA does
not cover non-commercial messages, the Websites should include some form of commercial message.
Web Advertising (WA)