What are Homepage Takeover ads?
Homepage Takeovers, or HPTO ads, include several premium Display ad placements, booked by a single advertiser, on a website homepage. These ad placements are often placed above the fold for even more visibility.
Homepage Takeover ads (HPTO ads) are available on all devices: desktops, tablets, mobiles and CTVs such as XBOX. Many publishers and websites’ owners offer these premium ad placements: MSN, IMDb, Spotify, Amazon, etc.
Homepage Takeover ads allow advertisers to run their ads on the first page users see when visiting a website, with 100% SOV (Share Of Voice).
Standard Homepage Takeovers usually include a Billboard or Leaderboard, a DMPU, a MPU and, sometimes, a Skin. Know that Homepage Takeovers don’t include the same ad placements all the time: these change across websites, devices and publishers.
A Skin (also called full-page Skin or website Skin) corresponds to a webpage background. This ad placement is most of the time empty. When a Skin is booked with a Homepage Takeover, the term “immersive Takeover” may be used.
Homepage Takeover ads are often booked on a flat fee basis (CPD, for example, vs CPM) because it’s difficult to know in advance the exact number of impressions per day of a page.
For some Takeover ads, like on XBOX (CTV advertising), it’s possible to book them for a day, for a half-day and even for a ¼ day (in the US only for the latest).
HPTO advertising pricing is quite dear because the format includes top-tier ad placements. If you want 100% SOV, it’s often cheaper to book an HPTO vs booking all Premium ad placements of a site individually (roadblocks).
Homepage Takeover examples
Takeover vs ROS
It’s important you understand the difference between Takeover and ROS (Run Of Site) ad placements: think about a Takeover as the Premium version of ROS.
Indeed, some Display ad placements may be the same between Takeovers and ROS. But Takeovers guarantee that your ads, and only your ads, will be seen by an audience.
For example, if an advertiser booked a Homepage Takeover (HPTO) for the entire week, only the advertisers’ ads will be visible on the website Homepage for these 7 days. Other advertisers may be able to deliver ads on other webpages for this particular site, during this specific period of time.
You can learn more about Run Of Site advertising here.
Premium Display ad placements for brands
Homepage Takeover ads are great for branding campaigns. Some of the takeover benefits are:
- Maximised visibility and reach.
- Higher engagement rate because users tend to trust co-branded content.
- Versatility of ad formats: images, videos, interactive ads, responsive ads, etc.
- Targeting and tracking features.
- Ad personalisation for a better user experience (UX).
- Co-branding aspect reinforced by website Skins.
- Ad blindness overcame thanks to unusual ad placements such as Skin ads.
When booking Homepage Takeover ads, brands associate themselves with the brand/website where their ads are delivered. Advertisers use the publisher reputation to enhance their brand image. That’s why it’s really important to pick websites that are aligned with your brand.
Takeover ads FAQs
Is a Homepage Takeover a Roadblock?
Yes, a Homepage Takeover (HPTO) is a type of Roadblock.
What is the difference between Roadblocks and full-page Skins?
In advertising, Roadblocks allow a single advertiser to block specific Display ad placements (usually above the fold) such as Billboards or desktop Leaderboards. A Roadblock gives 100% SOV for this advertiser; users’ attention is solely focused on the advertiser ads.
Skins only affect the website page background, not regular Display ad placements (DMPU, MPU, mobile Leaderboard…). Full-page Skins give a branded aspect to the website.
What’s the difference between a website Takeover and a website Skin?
A website Takeover may include Premium Display ad placements and a Skin, while a website Skin only impacts the website background. When Skins are not sold, the websites background is often empty.
Can a takeover be responsive?
Yes, it’s possible to book a responsive Takeover on some websites. The main benefit of responsive ads is that campaigns can run across all devices smoothly: ads are automatically adjusted to the screen size.
Are Takeover ads only available on Homepages?
No, with some publishers or websites, you can book a Takeover on other webpages. Usually, these ad placements are available on category pages like Lifestyle, Sports, Business, etc.
