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Online display advertising

Discover how to plan, implement and measure high-performing online display advertising campaigns with The Open University (OU) and industry experts, Target Internet. Whether you are new to online advertising or have some existing experience, you'll learn what it takes to get the right message in front of the right user in the right place and time. You'll explore formats and creative approaches and unlock the skills to use insight tools and analytics to continually improve and deliver a better return on investment.

Target Internet logo

Standalone study only

You will not be awarded credits for studying this course. It is available for standalone study only and cannot be counted towards an OU qualification.

Short course

Short course code

YG009

Credits

This is a non-credit bearing course.

Study method

Short course cost

Entry requirements

What you will study

Throughout this course, you'll discover how to use online display advertising throughout the user journey to drive engagement and deliver your marketing objectives. You'll explore how to maximise campaigns and how to target and measure them effectively. Practical exercises will help you to apply your new knowledge, and the social learning approach will empower you to further enhance and reflect on your understanding by sharing your thoughts and opinions with co-learners.

Delivered over four easy-to-digest sections, you will cover:

1: The user journey 

  • The role of online display advertising in the user journey
  • Ad blockers and online advertising volume
  • User journey mapping and online display advertising
  • Ad networks and creative options
  • Online display advertising targeting options
  • Keeping iteration and measurement at the core of online display advertising activity

2: Formats and creative 

  • Understand the role of different online display formats for different situations
  • The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and standard ad sizes and formats
  • Technical factors and load time
  • Graphical ad formats
  • Video ad formats
  • Mobile ad formats
  • Creative best practice examples

3: Targeting options

  • Understand the role of different online display targeting options for different situations
  • Audience vs content-based targeting
  • The targeting and ad cost connection
  • Demographic, geographic and device targeting
  • Topic and interest-based targeting
  • Retargeting and lookalike audience targeting
  • Automatic targeting and AI in online display advertising

4: Measurement and iteration 

  • The online display advertising iteration opportunity
  • Core measures: impressions, clicks and conversion
  • Online display advertising variables that impact results
  • A/B and multivariate testing online display advertising
  • Ad platform analytics
  • Web analytics for online display advertising
  • Attribution modelling to calculate the true value of online display activity.

Please note: the content in this course also features in courses created by The Open University and Target Internet, which are available on FutureLearn.

You will learn

By the end of this course, you'll have the skills to:

  • explore and plan online display campaigns across a range of networks
  • produce online display campaigns using effective creative
  • interpret online display advertising analytics reports
  • improve online display campaigns using analytics data.

Vocational relevance

Online display advertising is a powerful tool to reach potential customers as they browse the internet, from watching YouTube and shopping, to checking their email and using apps. Having the skills to effectively use display advertising gives you a critical advantage in the digital marketing landscape.

This course has been developed by the OU with industry experts, Target Internet. Known for being leaders in digital marketing training, they also have vast experience in planning and implementing digital campaigns for high-profile brands, including the BBC, Sony, Tesco, Vodafone, Mercedes, L'Oreal and Warner Bros. It's hosted by Target Internet's CEO Daniel Rowles, the voice behind the Digital Marketing Podcast and renowned author in the field.

Learner support

There is no tuition on this course and all study is self-directed. Throughout the course, you will have the opportunity to enhance and reflect on your understanding by sharing your thoughts and opinions with co-learners.

Teaching and assessment

Assessment

This online course is delivered via social learning and includes video, audio and written tutorials. You can learn at your own pace with complete flexibility. Throughout the course, you will be asked to respond to questions, reflect on your experiences and learning, and carry out short exercises to help you develop your understanding.

At the end of each section, you will be asked to answer a set of multiple-choice questions to test your knowledge. You can attempt these as often as you need to. It is important to complete them because they count towards your final score.

To receive a Certificate of Completion, you will need to complete every section and achieve at least 70% in all tests.

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the academic regulations, which are available on our Student Policies and Regulations website.


Entry requirements

You don't need any prior knowledge of online display advertising to join this course, although any work experience will enhance and contextualise your learning.

It's suitable for those who are new to the subject and want to build their knowledge, traditional marketers and communicators who would like to upskill in online display marketing, and more experienced marketers who want to cement their knowledge of the latest trends.

The content in this course is suitable for a global audience and the skills you learn can be applied in a wide range of marketing roles, whether in the public or third sector, large corporates, or SMEs.

If you'd like to discuss the suitability of the course, please contact us.

Course length

This course will take around 24 hours to complete and you can learn at your own pace. As a guide, if you set aside four hours per week, it would take six weeks to complete.

You can begin learning at any time. You will have a minimum of six months and up to 18 months to complete the course, depending on your registration date.

Register

Start End England fee Register
At anytime before registration end date Jan 2025 - see Entry requirements for more detail £200.00

Registration closes 31/07/2024

Register

Ways to pay

Credit/Debit Card – We accept American Express, Mastercard, Visa and Visa Electron.

Sponsorship – If this course is geared towards your job or developing your career, you could ask your employer to sponsor you by paying some or all of the fees. Your sponsor just needs to complete a simple form to confirm how much they will be paying and we will invoice them.

The fee information provided here is valid for short courses starting in the 2024/25 academic year. Fees typically increase annually. For further information about the University's fee policy, visit our Fee Rules.

Can you study an Access module for free?

In order to qualify, you must:

  1. be resident in England
  2. have a personal income of less than £25,000 (or receive qualifying benefits)
  3. have not completed one year or more on any full-time undergraduate programme at FHEQ level 4 or above, or completed 30 credits or more of OU study

How to apply to study an Access module for free

Once you've started the registration process, either online or over the phone, we'll contact you about your payment options. This will include instructions on how you can apply to study for free if you are eligible.

If you're unsure if you meet the criteria to study for free, you can check with one of our friendly advisers on +44 (0)300 303 0069 or you can request a call back.

Not eligible to study for free?

Don't worry! We offer a choice of flexible ways to help spread the cost of your Access module. The most popular options include:

  • monthly payments through OUSBA
  • part-time tuition fee loan (you'll need to be registered on a qualification for this option)

To explore all the options available to you, visit Fees and Funding.

What's included

All learning materials, exercises and activities are delivered entirely online.

Computing requirements

You can learn from your desktop computer or laptop or take your learning with you on a phone or tablet. You’ll need broadband internet access and a desktop/laptop computer with an up-to-date version of Windows (10 or 11) or macOS Ventura or higher. Our OU Study mobile app will operate on all currently supported Android and iOS versions.

If you have a disability

The course is delivered online and makes use of a variety of online resources. If you use specialist hardware or software to assist you in using a computer or the internet, you can contact us about the support which can be given to meet your needs.