Online display adverts that are integrated into the contents of a page are the most effective at making customers aware of a brand, research has found. According to a study but Dynamic Logic, ads that are placed in rectangles or half banners are better at attracting the attention of internet users than those located around the edges of a page.

The findings, which are based on 2,390 display campaigns that have been carried out in the past three years, also showed that using rich media with video helps produce the strongest brand impact, with ads in the simple flash format performing worst.

"We continue to believe that creative quality is the most important factor driving the success of online advertising," Ken Mallon of Dynamic Logic explained. He added that while "bigger doesn't always mean better," it will be "interesting" to observe what effect the new, larger ads that are being introduced will have on the online ad market.

Earlier this week, the Office of Fair Trading announced it is to carry out a study of online advertising, in order to ascertain how potentially misleading adverts affect consumers. It is asking various organisations for input regarding the scope of the investigation, with those wanting to offer their input required to do so by September 18th.