Banner advertising has been on the decline over the last several years as the focus has shifted to in-bound marketing approaches like blogging and search engine marketing.  Major disadvantages of banner ads is that they are intrusive (un-solicited) and users have learned to largely ignore them. However this form of online marketing can still be effective when used appropriately. One advantage of banner advertising is that by carefully selecting placement you can target a highly specific demographic. In contrast to search engine marketing they also offer viewers a multi-sensory experience of your brand including images, animation, sound and interactivity. Two additional advantages of this form of online marketing are analytics (click throughs are trackable giving you valuable consumer information) and cost, with the reduction of demand for banner ad placement the cost has significantly dropped. Banner ads are far from obsolete, but should be used strategically with careful consideration of placement and anticipated ROI.