Here is the next generation of interactive web banners. Tel Aviv agency Shalmor Avnon Amichay/Y&R promoted the Yellow Pages augmented reality location-based app by creating a banner that does the same thing.
The banner opens your webcam and lets you see the businesses around you. Wave your hand to switch between businesses. Click a business to jump straight to its Yellow Pages listing.
A banner that behaves like the product
The clever part is that this is not “interactive” for decoration. It is a working demo of the core value proposition. If the app helps you find what is near you, the banner proves that promise immediately, inside the placement, without asking you to imagine anything.
The mechanic: webcam as context, hand wave as UI
The flow is intentionally simple. Turn on the camera. Overlay nearby business options. Use a wave to move through results. Use a click to convert curiosity into action via the listing page.
In local discovery experiences, the strongest persuasion is a live, context-matched preview of usefulness rather than a feature claim.
Why it lands: it removes the “so what” gap
Most directory and local-search advertising dies in the space between promise and proof. This banner collapses that gap. You see your own context first, then you see results, then you can act. The interaction is the explanation.
Standalone takeaway: The fastest way to make a utility app feel essential is to let people experience the “aha” moment before they ever leave the page they are on.
What Yellow Pages is really trying to achieve
The business intent is to reposition Yellow Pages as modern, digital, and situationally useful, not just a legacy directory brand. The banner also creates a clear performance path. Engagement inside the unit, then click-out to a listing that can drive calls, visits, or follow-on app consideration.
What to steal from this execution
- Mirror the product in the ad. If the product is a tool, make the ad behave like the tool.
- Use one gesture people understand. A wave as “next” is instantly legible. No tutorial needed.
- Keep the ladder of commitment short. Preview. Browse. Click through. No extra steps.
- Make the experience readable for bystanders. In shared environments, obvious motion plus clear on-screen change sells the mechanic.
- Watch privacy optics. If you turn on a camera, be explicit that it is for interaction and context, not identification.
A few fast answers before you act
What is a “location based banner”?
It is a banner ad that adapts its content to the user’s situation, typically location or environment cues, so the ad can show relevant nearby options instead of generic messaging.
How does this Yellow Pages banner work?
It opens a webcam view, overlays nearby business options, lets you wave to cycle through businesses, and lets you click a result to open the corresponding Yellow Pages listing.
Why use a webcam at all?
Because it makes the experience feel immediate and personal. The ad becomes a live “finder” interface rather than a static claim about finding things.
What makes gesture-controlled banners risky?
Friction and variability. If the gesture detection fails or is unclear, users assume the ad is broken. The interaction must be forgiving and the feedback must be instant.
What is the safest way to replicate the idea today?
Keep the mechanic to one simple input, provide clear on-screen feedback, and ensure the user can still get value even if they do not enable the camera.