What are display ads? How to run Display Advertising on SmartAds
Display Ads are a form of online advertising that uses visually engaging banner ads across digital news platforms. With flexible image formats and multiple layout options, SmartAds’ Display Ads enable brands to deliver their messages in a compelling and impactful way - capturing user attention, enhancing brand recall, and reinforcing brand presence throughout digital touchpoints.
To effectively deploy this display advertising format, businesses can easily launch a campaign by following these steps:
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Step 1: Click the “Add Campaign” button
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Step 2: Select “Display Ads” and click “Apply” to set up creatives.
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Step 3: Name your campaign and choose campaign objectives.
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Step 4: In the Ads* section, click “Add Ad”. To change the ad format, click “Change”.
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Step 5: Upload display banner images and add the destination landing page URL.
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Step 6: Select appropriate targeting options to reach your ideal audience.
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Step 7: Set campaign budget and bidding strategy.
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Step 8: Configure UTM tracking (if needed) before submitting the ads.
Note: Please ensure sufficient account balance and valid advertising licenses before launching your campaign.
>>> Step-by-step guide to setting up UTM tracking and SmartAds Pixel.
Where do SmartAds Display Ads appear?
Display Ads are optimized for both desktop and mobile devices across SmartAds’ premium publisher ecosystem, supporting a wide range of banner ad sizes:
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Desktop: Supports three primary sizes: Large (300x600), Article (480x270), and Bottom Sticky (970x90).
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Mobile: Supports four primary sizes: Breakpage (414x345), Masthead (414x207), Large (300x250), and Bottom Sticky (728x90).
Banners are automatically distributed to the most suitable placements based on their sizes, ensuring a smooth and natural user experience without disruption. At the same time, brands gain visibility in prominent positions on leading digital newspapers—strengthening credibility and reinforcing branding during key campaign phases.
Why are SmartAds Display ads more effective than other platforms?
On many other platforms, advertising inventory is scattered across numerous satellite websites and publishers, which can lead to inconsistent campaign quality due to:
- Fragmented networks: Ads may appear across countless publishers—websites, personal blogs, forums, or apps—with limited placement control and uneven quality. In some cases, low-quality or artificial traffic reduces real advertising value, making it difficult for advertisers to accurately assess campaign performance.
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Limited viewability: Banners are often placed in “blind spots” such as page footers or low-attention areas.
>>> What is ad blindness? Causes and how to minimize display ad blind spots.
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High competition density: A single website may serve ads from multiple networks or advertisers simultaneously, causing brand messages to blend together and reducing visibility when ad density is too high.
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Brand safety risks: Limited control over publisher quality can result in brand ads appearing alongside sensitive, unverified, or low-credibility content—potentially harming brand reputation.
To address these challenges, SmartAds controls inventory from the outset by partnering exclusively with premium publishers, primarily Vietnam’s leading digital newspapers (such as VnExpress, Dan Tri, Vietnamnet, Thanh Nien, Tuoi Tre…). As a result, brands can:
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Ensure maximum brand safety: Transparent and trusted ad environments combined with multi-layer moderation prevent ads from appearing in unsuitable contexts.
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Optimize advertising budgets: With direct access to premium inventory, SmartAds minimizes intermediary costs and delivers superior bidding efficiency.
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Leverage high-quality user data: Real user data from top-tier digital publishers enables more accurate targeting and reach optimization—far beyond fragmented data sources elsewhere.
Beyond Display Ads, SmartAds’ ecosystem integrates Native Article Ads, Performance Video Ads, and Brand Video Ads—allowing brands not only to “appear” but to truly “connect” with audiences at every moment of content consumption.
>>> Complete guide to creating advertising campaigns on SmartAds.
The optimal solution for Brand Awareness campaigns
Display Ads are particularly effective for campaigns that require broad reach and strong visual impact. Businesses can apply them across:
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Branding & awareness campaigns: Expanding brand recognition and creating lasting visual impressions.
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New product or service launches: Capturing attention from the very first touchpoints.
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Seasonal or major event campaigns: Maximizing brand exposure during peak periods such as holidays, festivals, or sporting events.
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Always-on strategies: Maintaining continuous brand presence with competitive CPM costs.
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Performance-driven support: Serving as an upper-funnel driver that enhances conversion-focused ad formats.
When combined with Video Ads and Native Ads, Display Ads not only deliver wide coverage but also deepen persuasion through compelling storytelling and contextual intelligence. This creates a comprehensive brandformance solution—strengthening brand equity while driving engagement and conversions within a unified digital advertising journey.
>>> Case study: How to interpret performance data in digital advertising campaigns.
About SmartAds, formerly known as Eclick - SmartAds is developed by FPT Online, one of Vietnam’s pioneers in digital technology and media. Through continuous innovation and partnerships with leading premium publishers, SmartAds has established itself as a frontrunner in delivering brandformance solutions in Vietnam. With a long-term vision to become a trusted partner for brands, SmartAds empowers advertisers to optimize both brand visibility and campaign performance. If you are looking for an advertising solution that balances branding impact and measurable results, create an account and experience campaign setup on SmartAds here.
