What are "display ads"?

[Big Mountain]

Sorry if this is a stupid question but this has been vexing me lately and I can't seem to google up any kind of straight answer.
What exactly are "display ads"?
I've seen this phrase bandied about a lot of the webmaster newsletters and articles lately and I have no idea what it means.
Anybody?
P.S. My level of expertise with online advertising is that I've been an Adsense publisher for about three years.

 

[directmarketingadvice]

What exactly are "display ads"?
I've seen this phrase bandied about a lot of the webmaster newsletters and articles lately and I have no idea what it means.

It depends on the context.

Ads in newspapers and magazines are, typically, "display ads".

A flyer isn't a display ad.

A banner ad on a website is a "display ad".

A PPC ad on google search is not a display ad, but an image ad in adwords is.

So, as I said, what it means depends on how the phrase is being used.

Hope this helps,

Steve

 

[visagephoto]

I would say a display ad is an ad which is larger than a normal directory listing, and contains more than just text, ie, a border, graphics and/or images.

 

[stephendoyle]

hi big mountain,

i see it as being similar to a classified advert however;
having illustration or a logo to aid the advert.

regards,
stephen doyle