Why an ad campaign? It’s obvious, right?

The purpose of an ad campaign is to advertise and generate more: clients, sales, revenue, and profit. More of everything. At least that part is clear. But when you dive into the details, things get a bit trickier. Broadly speaking, we can divide campaigns into two groups:

1. Reach campaigns, whose goal is to get the message across to as large an audience as possible within the target group.

2. Performance campaigns, focused directly on conversion (e.g., lead generation, sales in a store, user registration, etc.).

Since the goals are different, the methods are also quite distinct.

For reach campaigns, it’s usually enough for the audience to simply engage with the content, such as noticing a banner. The design has to be “loud” enough to grab the attention of the widest possible audience. That’s why we see large formats, bright colors, and “X” buttons that are sometimes hard to find—and even harder to click.

Performance campaigns, on the other hand, have a different focus. They’re not about building brand awareness (or at least not as the primary goal). The result needs to be efficient, not necessarily flashy. The budget should translate into more users, leads, or sales. Hence, formats that are often less eye-catching, so only genuinely interested users click on them. In such cases, tools where clients pay for performance (per click, lead, or sale) are useful.

Can you do both types? Sure. However, mixing both approaches skillfully tends to yield better results.

One thing I’m certain of: whatever approach you choose, don’t force your audience to engage with your ad at all costs—like making them chase the elusive „X” button across the screen.