20 Years of Digital Advertising: From Banner Ads to Sponsored Snapchats

A landmark birthday

AT&T ran the first banner ad two decades ago today via the then-popular Web browser Netscape, which offered a palette of 16 colors—a fraction of what modern digital designers have at their disposal.

"It was like using a box of crayons—except there weren't even 32 colors to choose from," said Wonderfactory CEO Joe McCambley, who back then helped draw up the historic campaign for HotWired as Modem Media's creative director. While the result wasn't exactly a masterpiece, it spurred a revolution.

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