Insights >
Yahoo! JAPAN Brand Panel Ads
New: 2025 Japanese Marketing Calendar | download for FREE >>
Brand Panel Ads are a crucial form of advertising for brands seeking to create effective marketing campaigns in Japan. Large companies frequently utilize them due to their higher click-through rates when compared to other ad formats.
This article will provide an overview of Yahoo! JAPAN’s Brand Panel Ads, including their types, specification requirements, benefits, effective targeting when combined with other methods, and more.
The topics covered in this article are as follows:
Brand Panel Ads are display ads that appear on the home page of Yahoo! JAPAN. They are in the most prominent position on Japan’s largest media platform, making them highly visible to many users. In addition, Brand Panel Ads typically have higher click-through rates when compared to regular ad formats.
There are two types of Brand Ads, which are categorized based on the platform they appear on: PC Brand Panel Ads and Smartphone Brand Panel Ads.
PC Guaranteed Ads are displayed on the desktop version of Yahoo! JAPAN, and the top page ad space is sometimes segmented into the following categories:
Smartphone Brand Panel Ads are displayed on the mobile version of Yahoo! JAPAN. Upon accessing the site, a sizable ad occupies up to one-third of the top page, presenting significant advertising appeal and visibility.
Please see the tables below for PC and Smartphone Brand Ads specifications (image & video formats).
| Image Spec Guidelines | PC Brand Panel | Smartphone Brand Panel |
| Aspect ratio | 1:1 | 16:9 |
| Minimum dimensions | 600 x 600px | 640 x 360px |
| Maxim file size | 3MB | 3MB |
| File format | GIF, JPEG, PNG | GIF, JPEG, PNG |
| Animation | n/a | n/a |
| Alt text | n/a | n/a |
| Video Spec Guidelines | PC Brand Panel | Smartphone Brand Panel |
| Aspect ratio | 19:9 or 1:1 | 16:9 |
| Minimum dimensions | 640 x 360px or 600 x 600px | 640 x 360px |
| Maxim file size | 200MB | 200MB |
| Sound format | AAC LC | AAC LC |
| Video format | H.264 or H.265 | H.264 or H.265 |
| Fine format | MP4, MOV | MP4, MOV |
| Minimum video bitrate (recommended) | 1Mbps | 1Mbps |
| Minimum audio bitrate (recommended) | 128kbps | 128kbps |
| Video duration | 5 – 60 seconds | 5 – 60 seconds |
One major advantage of brand panel advertising is its ability to reach a large number of users, comparable to, or even exceeding, that of TV commercials. Yahoo! JAPAN holds the highest monthly active user base in Japan, boasting 28 million users on PCs and 89 million users on smartphones as of March 2023.
Moreover, Yahoo! JAPAN has an almost equal ratio of male to female users. The platform is also widely utilized by users across all age groups, with over 80% of young users implementing Yahoo! JAPAN services into their daily lives. Therefore, if you are seeking to broaden your company’s advertising exposure to a diverse range of users, we highly recommend trying brand panel advertising.
Brand panel advertising allows for flexible targeting. Well-structured targeting can help you display ads to users who are more likely to convert.
The available targeting options and whether they can be set for auction or guaranteed ad types are as follows:
| Targeting settings | Content | Auction Ads | Guaranteed Ads |
| Device | Device, operating system, applications, etc. | Yes | Yes |
| Gender | Male, female, other | Yes | Yes |
| Age | Custom age range selection | Yes | Yes |
| Search Keywords | Target users with specific search history on Yahoo! JAPAN | Yes | No |
| Audience Lists | Upload external audience lists | Yes | No |
| Audience Category | Target users with specific attributes | Yes | Yes |
| Day & Time | Specify days of the week and hours you want ads to be delivered | Yes | Yes |
| Location | Target a specific prefecture or city | Yes | Yes |
Compared to other platforms, Brand Panel Ads typically generate a higher click-through rate. This is because Yahoo! JAPAN has a strong brand value that makes it easier for users to trust the advertisers. Moreover, since the platform is a part of everyday life in Japan, users feel more secure engaging with ads on the site.
The impact of Brand Panel Ads can be extended to other ad formats, such as display or listings. If a user comes across advertising banners and subsequently searches for those products on Yahoo! JAPAN, they are more likely to click on the corresponding listing. This creates a ripple effect that enhances the overall effectiveness of the advertising campaign.
Not sure if Brand Panel Ads are a good choice for your brand? Here is our summary of how businesses can benefit from adding them to their marketing mix.
Brand Panel Ads, which are viewed by a large number of users, are highly effective in increasing the recognition of products or services. By extending the ad posting period, expanding the target audience, and effectively utilizing the budget, brands can expect similar or even better results than TV commercials or newspaper ads.
Aside from Yahoo! JAPAN’s home page, those ads can generate traffic from content such as news articles.
Advertisers can further optimize their campaigns by utilizing vast targeting settings, narrowing down their audience to reach users who are most likely to convert.
Like TV commercials or newspaper ads, Brand Panel Ads can enhance brand credibility. Start-ups or companies venturing into new fields can utilize brand panel advertising to establish consumer trust. Additionally, including large, eye-catching images or videos enables effective branding.
You can take your campaigns to the next level by combining Brand Panel Ads with other formats and activities within the platform. You can enhance the campaigns’ performance by targeting users who have already shown an interest in Brand Panel Ads.
Site retargeting involves displaying display ads to users who have previously visited your website. Combining Brand Panel Ads with site retargeting helps identify high-potential users.
Since Brand Panel Ads are highly effective in increasing product or service recognition, the bidding costs can be high. However, you can increase cost-effectiveness by extracting high-potential user groups and nurturing their interest and concerns with retargeting ads.
Search targeting is a strategy that displays ads to users searching for specific keywords on Yahoo! JAPAN.
When the user’s search history is recorded, the company’s display ads can appear on Yahoo! JAPAN content pages or ad spaces on partner sites.
Combining search targeting with brand panel advertising can increase the visibility of Brand Panel Ads to users who have already expressed interest in your products or services.
This approach is particularly effective when using brand panel advertising to promote product purchases or generate leads. Setting up search targeting enables ads to appear when users’ motivation to act is at its highest.
Yahoo! JAPAN Brand Panel Ads are highly effective at increasing awareness and brand recognition due to their wide reach. Moreover, they offer highly accurate targeting functions, which can be further enhanced through rich reporting options. This feature allows for analyzing changes in user awareness and behaviour, making it easier to optimize ad performance.
As a part of the SoftBank family, we at DMFA offer comprehensive Yahoo! JAPAN advertising solutions for businesses and digital marketing agencies. Please contact our team to discuss how we can help your brand scale in the Japanese market.
