COGBLOG

October 27th 1994. 15 years ago today, the first online banner ads were run on HotWired.com.

That first day also marks the zenith of banner ad click through rates. A banner with just two words, “Click Here”, achieved a 78% click-through rate. Each click was followed by the user sighing and saying “oh, it’s just an ad”.

Here’s an interesting account by Frank D’Angelo at AdAge.