http://www.google.com/intl/en/press/pressrel/20070918_gadgetads.html
Google Gadget Ads™, a new interactive ad format that is currently in an expanded beta with a select group of AdWords™ advertisers worldwide. Gadget ads – non-traditional ad units with interactive, rich media capabilities – not only enable advertisers to target audiences in a flexible and timely manner via regular updates within the ad unit, but also allow users to engage with ad content in a way static ads haven't facilitated in the past.
Gadget ads can incorporate real-time data feeds, images, video and much more in a single creative unit and can be developed using Flash, HTML or a combination of both. Designed to act more like content than a typical ad, they run on the Google™ content network, competing alongside text, image and video ads for placement. They support both cost-per-click and cost-per-impression pricing models, and offer a variety of contextual, site, geographic and demographic targeting options to ensure the ads reach relevant users with precision and scale. Gadget ads are also built on an open platform, allowing anybody from individual advertisers to agencies to set up and run ads on the Google content netw |
Hmm... I remember there was a mad dash to switch to image ads only to discover they had a much lower CTR. I'll wait awhile to see if these pan out for publishers. I know when I'm surfing I instinctively avoid flashy things in little sidebar boxes... |
There is a Orbitz golf game that I play once an a while – its one of those nasty behind the screen popups. Every 3 rounds of the game there is a pop-up to Orbiz which I promptly close each time. I guess the reason that works, is that is a true game, not one of those adds which say enter your zip code for a mortgage quote, then dump you into a screen where you have 80 other data fields to fill out. |
I'm getting this gadget ad on Blogoscoped:
http://img478.imageshack.us/img478/3922/flashadbh1.png
There's no disclosure except for Philipp's own "Advertisement" notice. The animation loops continuously (inflating hearts, twinkles on the lettering and a moving glint on the border of the "Calculate" button).
If I enter a name and click "Calculate", it launches a popup (i.e. Firefox asks me if I want to allow popups from pagead2.googlesyndication.com).
Bleah! |