Ad Ops Topics: rich media

Rich media is a term used to describe dynamic and engaging advertising. Rich media advertising goes beyond the standard display of images and text. Instead of images, rich media ads are basically small computer applications that are served in the web page ad space either via code such as DHTML or via browser plug-ins such as Adobe Flash or Microsoft Silverlight. This may include but is not limited to: ads that cover web-site content or that interrupt usability of a site, or require user interactivity beyond clicking through the linked url such as playing a game or a video file, and ads that pull dynamic information in real-time. Third party rich media companies (such as PointRoll or Unicast) act as service providers who build, host and serve rich media advertising for advertisers and publishers.

Blog Posts

The Rise of the Custom Creative

Jul 12, 2011

When you visit the homepage for Aol’s Project Devil, there’s a catchphrase across the top that immediately grabs you: "There’s no reason webpages should look the same as they did 15 years ago." I've never met a publisher who would disagree, but it wasn’t until recently that we saw any kind of effort to redesign one of the most old-fashioned pieces in online publishing: the ad unit. New efforts to build engaging units that drive better interaction might be a sign that Project Devil – Aol's...

3 Things Publishers Need to Know When Starting to Use Rich Media

Jul 26, 2010

The world of creative in online advertising is constantly evolving. It seems that every month we’re reading about new types of creative that can be implemented on a publisher’s web site. While many still use plain images to do their advertising (and there’s certainly nothing wrong with that!), we are beginning to see that advertiser’s want to more to directly engage the user, and when they do, it leads to quantifiable results.While Flash® is still considered ‘Rich Media’ by many, it is quickly...

iPad and iPhone App Development: Like Pouring Concrete

May 11, 2010

NPR was one of a few publishers to have a customized iPad application available at the product launch. The iPad app was a result of five weeks of intense development, but also, six months of learning through a successful app on the iPhone platform. Here are some things to consider when building applications and revenue models for either the iPhone or the iPad.1. Apps give publishers an attractive new way to engage audiences. Benefits include:Custom experiences. Publishers can use the...

A Salute To Out of the Box

Apr 2, 2010

Editor's Note: This blog article originally appeared on the Unicast Blog.Our clients are always in search of the next big thing, the out-of-the-box solution that will make a big impact. I’ve seen some great out-of-the-box executions both from our internal clients and out there on the web as a regular user, and the one from this article stands out as a great example. It used ASCII art along with a sort of virtual scavenger hunt to really engage its users. Here’s why I think this and other out-of...

Using Simple Scripts to Acquire Vendor Rich Media Data

Jan 6, 2010

As anyone who has had to pull data from rich media providers knows, the process can be tedious and error prone and the reporting interfaces tend to be cumbersome. Many Ad Ops teams wait until the end of the month to reconcile serving discrepancies. Unfortunately that means that any significant discrepancies or errors may cost a publisher revenue, resources, and time. I decided to invest some time trying to simplify the process and see if I could automate the process of pulling the data....