Digital Advertising: A History Lesson

Published on
September 9, 2015
Contributors
Megan Malone
megan@vicimediainc.com

Megan Malone is a Founding Partner with Vici, and leads our Operations division.  Megan has both a radio and digital marketing background working for the Philadelphia Eagles, Beasley Broadcast Group, and Cox Media Group. In her career she has helped plan and implement thousands of digital media campaigns.   She holds a certification from Disney Institute’s People Management, Google Analytics, and was awarded the top 10 advertisers in Louisville from the American Advertisers Federation.  In her free time Megan is relaxing in Phoenix, Arizona with her husband Dave and toddler Zoey.

Subscribe to our newsletter
Read about our privacy policy.
Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
firstbanner

When you think of where digital marketing is in 2015, I'm amazed everyday at how quickly advancements are being made to deliver beautiful marketing to the sophisticated web users. As web users we expect a lot. We are more informed about our purchases being made online and offline. We have means of communicating to other consumers to inform them of our purchasing story. We expect a seamless cross-channel shopping experience and websites that cater to us every step of the way. And we got there quickly

If you remember the days of surfing with Netscape, the painful slowness of each website loading, made even more painful if a banner ad also loaded, you are probably thinking of a time in the mid-90s. Wired Magazine reports the first banner ad was launched on October 27, 1994 by a company called HotWired. The ads were 468 pixels wide by 60 pixels deep. Legend has it AT&T was the first digital ad heard round the world. The copy?“Have you ever clicked your mouse right HERE? You will”.

Other notable (and surprisingly recent) evolutionary moments in digital marketing include:

  • The first ad server NetGravity in 1996
  • The first Google AdWord appeared in 2002
  • The first YouTube ad pre-rolled in 2005
  • The first Facebook ad  went social in 2007

Source: Wired Magazine, Marketo

Related Posts

Tips, guides, industry best practices, and news.
Category Link
Class Dismissed, The Digital Campaign Mastered It!
A local college was looking to enroll new students for the 2023-2024 school year. The campaign highlighted the college’s Artificial Intelligence and Data Science master degree programs.
Vici Team
June 30, 2025
Category Link
YouTube+: The Branding and Awareness Machine
In today’s digital landscape, attention is everything and YouTube is where that attention lives. With billions of users, laser-sharp targeting, flexible budgets, and measurable performance, advertising on YouTube isn’t just a trend it’s a strategic advantage.
Dan Charon
June 25, 2025
Category Link
From Pitch to Performance: Selling Smarter with Digital Media
The best digital salespeople aren’t just selling—they’re guiding. With the right materials, mindset and momentum, your pitch becomes a performance your client won’t forget.
Tracey Geary
June 9, 2025