This is quite possibly the most complicated, ugly banner ad that I’ve ever seen. There are simply too many things going on. I had to read the small text multiple times to figure out when the sale is going on, what time it is now, and what time I would have to shop to catch it.

Too many details in:

Messaging: days of the sale, online vs. in store, timing of each, Central or local time, what is a Power Hour Special, why is the “over” in a special box, why does it tell me to click here to shop now when the sale hasn’t started yet, I’m so annoyed, blahblahblah, I didn’t even know this ad was for Kohl’s, this sucks, should I remember the “250” or the dates of the sale, etc.

Aesthetic: fonts, font size, colors, random Clip Art icons, all caps vs. lowercase, and boxes that divide the ad

Takeaway: Keep banner ads simple because you’ll only get a split second of someone’s peripheral vision.

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