The advent of the Internet opened up the possibility of personalized messages being delivered to targeted individuals. Online advertising enabled marketers to target specific customer segments, gather information, assess sales potential, and ensure product/service exposure across geographic boundaries in a cost effective manner.

The Internet has the capacity to reach a global audience faster than any other medium. The multiple forms of online advertising tools developed by advertisers over time were aimed at creating exciting, interactive, eye-catching advertisements that could draw consumers’ attention while at the same time increasing their brand recall or online sales.