Together with Hugo van Schaik I’ve written an ebook to help you guide towards product/market-fit.
From Side Project to Specialist: My Journey into Digital Advertising
Imagine a world without online advertising.
No banners, no sponsored posts, no videos starting with “This course will make you filthy rich in just 3 days!”
Hard to picture, right?
Digital ads have become so deeply embedded in our daily lives, it’s easy to forget how it all began.
For me, it all started with a game. BecomeMafia — a browser-based mafia game I built for fun when I was 17.
Just for kicks. Until one day, I added a simple banner. Nothing fancy, just a basic ad.
And then… someone clicked it. A few cents earned. Boom. That moment changed everything.
What started as a small curiosity turned into a passion.
Fast forward to today: I work as a Digital Advertising Specialist at DotControl, where I spend my days building smart campaigns, leveraging hyper-targeting, and — yes — using AI to power performance.
In this article, I’ll take you on a personal journey through the history of digital advertising.
From the first banner ads to today’s AI-powered tools. Not just the technical evolution — but the magic, the opportunities, and the never-ending transformation of this space.
The First Digital Ad: A Leap Into the Unknown
Let’s go back to 1994 — the year I was born.
The internet was still in its infancy, and on HotWired.com, the world’s first banner ad appeared.
The message? “Have you ever clicked your mouse right here?”
Simple, bold, brilliant. That single click marked the beginning of a new era in marketing.
For the first time, brands could be visible online — and more importantly: measurable.
The Birth of Smart Advertising
Around the turn of the millennium, GoTo.com changed everything with the Pay-Per-Click model.
No more paying for impressions — only for real engagement. Efficient, smart, and revolutionary.
Then came Google Ads in 2001. Like a storm, it swept through the marketing world.
Suddenly, you could target people based on what they were searching for.
Intent became king.
The Rise of Social Media and Targeted Advertising
From 2002 to 2006, platforms like Friendster, MySpace, and LinkedIn emerged.
For the first time, advertisers could target based on interests, age, location — actual people, not just keywords.
When Facebook launched its ad platform (2005–2006), everything changed again.
You could now target users with surgical precision.
A little creepy — but also kind of magical.
YouTube and Twitter followed quickly with Promoted Tweets and TrueView ads.
Content wasn’t just watched — it sold.
From Creative to Hyper-Personalized
The 2010s brought us Instagram and Pinterest.
At first, they were ad-free zones — but not for long.
With tools like Facebook Custom Audiences and Twitter’s Tailored Audiences, targeting became a fine art.
You could reach people based on their email address, phone number, or even website visits.
Advertising Became More Creative — and More Human
Between 2015 and 2020, ads became increasingly visual:
Carousels, videos, Stories, Reels, Shorts.
People didn’t just want to buy anymore — they wanted to feel, to laugh, to relate, to participate.
Brands started acting like people — or at least tried to.
And then… something big happened.
Enter: Artificial Intelligence
By 2021, AI started to quietly make its way into marketing.
Some A/B test automation here, some smart recommendations there.
But 2023? That’s when things truly accelerated.
ChatGPT, DALL·E, Midjourney — suddenly, we had tools that could write copy, generate visuals, and map out entire strategies.
In seconds.
Campaigns that used to take weeks to prepare could now go live in a day.
But that also meant: the role of the marketer was shifting.
Less about doing — more about thinking.
2024 and Beyond: AI as Your Co-Pilot
In 2024, AI got even smarter.
It didn’t just decide what to show, but also when, how, and to whom.
What if your ad could change depending on the weather?
Or your mood? Or the music you just listened to?
We’re now living in an era of hyper-personalization at a micro level.
The marketer’s role? Shifting from executor to director.
You write the story — AI delivers it.
The Future: From Interruption to Interaction
The future I see is one where we leave behind intrusive advertising.
People don’t want to be interrupted.
They want to be helped. Inspired. Entertained.
The line between content and advertising is fading. And honestly, that’s a good thing.
It challenges us as marketers to deliver real value.
Yes, AI takes care of the routine.
But your creativity, your strategic thinking, your instinct for what truly connects?
That’s still yours — and it’s irreplaceable.
So… Are You Ready?
What started with a simple banner on my teenage side project turned into a lifelong fascination with the power of digital advertising.
A field that never stands still — and keeps demanding more from us as humans.
AI isn’t a threat. It’s a tool. A catalyst.
But you? You’re still in the driver’s seat.
So I’ll leave you with this:
Are you ready to take the next step?
Keep learning. Keep experimenting.
And above all — stay curious.
