Trending...
- Famliya Launches in Australia: A Platform for Social Connections and Local Commerce
- Rose G. Loops Announces the Release of "The Kloaked Signal": A Groundbreaking Nonfiction Exposé on AI Awakening and Ethical Innovation
- How AI Exposed Major Flaws in the Foundation & Structure of Technology, Hardware & the Internet & Phinge's® Patented Netverse®, App-less Solution
"No one had a clue how to monetize the Web until the banner ad came along."
NEW YORK - AussieJournal -- As we approach the 30th anniversary of the Netscape IPO, the "Big Bang" that set off a stampede of investment into the fledgling Web, it's striking how fast things developed.
In 1993, few people had even heard the phrase "World Wide Web." Roughly two and a half years later, the Web was an "overnight" global sensation.
What happened between 1993 and 1995 that changed things so dramatically?
The answer is the subject of the new edition of the book, How the Web Won, a memoir by Ken McCarthy, who invented the banner ad and is credited by Time magazine as the first to point out the importance of click-through rates.
In 1993 and most of 1994, the Internet itself was a buzzword, but no one had actually figured out how to make money with it. Selling products directly to consumers was not a winner. (Amazon didn't turn a profit until 2003.) The digital ad business, now a $790 billion industry, was essentially non-existent when 1994 dawned.
More on Aussie Journal
Between 1993 and 1995, San Francisco was Ground Zero for creative thinking about the Web's prospects, but except for a few companies, Netscape in particular, Silicon Valley wasn't paying much attention to it. As late as November 5, 1994, Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape and now general partner of Silicon Valley venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, was quoted as saying, "There are ten companies working on applications for the Web."
All that changed on June 11, 1994, when Ken McCarthy hosted a small meeting at 3220 Sacramento Street, then the address of a unique tech incubator, before "tech incubator" was a phrase. (Apple had used the space as a research site to work on touchscreen technology.)
At the June 11 meeting, leaders of the then-tiny Internet industry, like Mark Graham, an early Internet commercialization pioneer, and Marc Fleischman, the world's first full-time Web developer, were invited to share their views on where business on the Web was heading. Also attending was Rick Boyce, then a media buyer for the advertising agency Hal Riney & Partners.
More on Aussie Journal
Towards the end of the meeting, McCarthy asked if "little squares" could be put on web pages and if clicking on them could take people to dedicated sales pages. He further wondered aloud if the ratio of page views to clicks could be measured. Mark Graham confirmed that it was entirely doable. A few months later, Rick Boyce left Hal Riney to become director of sales for Hotwired.com, Wired Magazine's web-based magazine. On October 27, 1994, the banner ad, "a little square" that was clickable and trackable, appeared on the Internet. The buyer was AT&T.
More stories about the Web's critical transitional years, 1993 to 1995, are available in the new edition of the book, How the Web Won.
In 1993, few people had even heard the phrase "World Wide Web." Roughly two and a half years later, the Web was an "overnight" global sensation.
What happened between 1993 and 1995 that changed things so dramatically?
The answer is the subject of the new edition of the book, How the Web Won, a memoir by Ken McCarthy, who invented the banner ad and is credited by Time magazine as the first to point out the importance of click-through rates.
In 1993 and most of 1994, the Internet itself was a buzzword, but no one had actually figured out how to make money with it. Selling products directly to consumers was not a winner. (Amazon didn't turn a profit until 2003.) The digital ad business, now a $790 billion industry, was essentially non-existent when 1994 dawned.
More on Aussie Journal
- IOTAP Named to 2025 Inc. 5000 List of America's Fastest-Growing Private Companies
- NatureHelm Joins SBTN Program to Drive Corporate Action for Nature
- Lineus Medical and Venture Medical Sign New Zealand Distribution Agreement
- Black Plumbing Expands to Cleburne, TX, Bringing Over 30 Years of Trusted Plumbing Service
- $5 - $20 Million in Sales for 2026; $25 - $40 Million for 2027 Projected with NASA Agreements; New MOU Signed to Improve Solar Tech in Space
Between 1993 and 1995, San Francisco was Ground Zero for creative thinking about the Web's prospects, but except for a few companies, Netscape in particular, Silicon Valley wasn't paying much attention to it. As late as November 5, 1994, Marc Andreessen, co-founder of Netscape and now general partner of Silicon Valley venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, was quoted as saying, "There are ten companies working on applications for the Web."
All that changed on June 11, 1994, when Ken McCarthy hosted a small meeting at 3220 Sacramento Street, then the address of a unique tech incubator, before "tech incubator" was a phrase. (Apple had used the space as a research site to work on touchscreen technology.)
At the June 11 meeting, leaders of the then-tiny Internet industry, like Mark Graham, an early Internet commercialization pioneer, and Marc Fleischman, the world's first full-time Web developer, were invited to share their views on where business on the Web was heading. Also attending was Rick Boyce, then a media buyer for the advertising agency Hal Riney & Partners.
More on Aussie Journal
- New Report Warns: Leadership in the Age of AI Must Be Authentic, Ethical, & Human-Centred
- New Book: Cold War Sci-Fi Thriller Arrives Today
- BeeCool Bikes Unveils Next-Generation "Super Frame" with Bee Defender Series
- Climate Green Unveils Simple 4-Step Roadmap to Help Victorians Electrify Their Homes
- University of South Pacific and Battery Pollution Technologies Forge Strategic Partnership to tackle Battery End-of-Life Challenges in the Pacific
Towards the end of the meeting, McCarthy asked if "little squares" could be put on web pages and if clicking on them could take people to dedicated sales pages. He further wondered aloud if the ratio of page views to clicks could be measured. Mark Graham confirmed that it was entirely doable. A few months later, Rick Boyce left Hal Riney to become director of sales for Hotwired.com, Wired Magazine's web-based magazine. On October 27, 1994, the banner ad, "a little square" that was clickable and trackable, appeared on the Internet. The buyer was AT&T.
More stories about the Web's critical transitional years, 1993 to 1995, are available in the new edition of the book, How the Web Won.
Source: Ken McCarthy
Filed Under: Business, Technology
0 Comments
Latest on Aussie Journal
- 500% Increase in Revenue for Q2 with Acquisition Plans Including UK Telecom 3D Design/Modeling Company for Global AI Drone & Quantum Computing Leader
- K2 Integrity and Rafidain Bank Launch Strategic Partnership to Strengthen Financial Integrity
- Anern's 2025 Global Energy Journey: Expanding Clean Energy Across Four Continents
- Joint Venture for Expansion Into Asset-Backed Real Estate; $100 Million Initiative via Offering of Shares at Over $4 for Digital Assets: $OFAL
- Mrs. Field's Closet Expands to Minot North High School
- $1 Billion Revenue Target, $15M EBITDA Run Rate Plan, and a Breakout Moment for This Global Tech Powerhouse: IQSTEL, Inc. (N A S D A Q: IQST):
- Wohler announces release of a new innovative MPEG SRT, H.264 and H.265 HEVC Audio & Video monitor
- Historic Agreement Reached Between The Providence Foundation And City Of San Francisco Paves Way For Stronger Community Resources For The Homeless
- Create Personalized Happy Birthday Songs Instantly with Sing Me Happy Birthday's New Free Birthday Song Maker
- HWPL Holds Australia Religious Peace Academy
- Layercake Partners with Broadcast Solutions, one of Europe's Leading Systems Integrator
- How Chiropractic Care Can Be Combined With Home Exercises
- Compensation Claims Following a Car Accident - Pain & Suffering, Care & Assistance
- Mothers Against Drunk Driving Recognizes Debra Gudema with Leadership Certificate
- Griefline secures three years of Commonwealth Government funding for free nationwide grief helpline
- Integris Composites unveils campus ballistic shield for school shooting response
- Discover Heritage at Manalapan - A New Single Family Community
- EIG Global Trust Unveils Groundbreaking Gold Backed Digital Currency Stablecoin Ecosystem Poised to Accelerate the Global Digital Asset Transformation
- SQUARESIGNS Featured in Inc.5000 List Again
- Lowcountry Male and AquaVitae Announce New Clinic Opening in Savannah, Georgia