Unicast Exec Reveals Tips for Better Rich Media Ads

Unicast Reveals Its Top Ten Tips for Advertisers to

Increase Their Online Ad Visibility

A leading rich media provider shares recommendations for publishers to generate and execute innovative campaigns and increase visibility.
 

Unicast's James Dillon has tips on how to make rich media ads more memorable.

 “Publishers hear from advertisers all the time that they want more eyeballs on their product,” says James Dillon, SVP of Global Sales & Solutions for Unicast. “We understand that publishers are increasingly looking to win more advertising revenue, and we help them with creating technologically advanced and individualized rich media advertising solutions.”

With the abundance of video players, formats and technologies, it is often difficult for publishers to navigate and easily implement online campaigns, Dillon continues.  Unicast has experience solving these backend issues that are prevalent in the online advertising space right now and shares its top 10 tips for publishers to generate and execute innovative rich media campaigns and lock in more eyeballs:

1.  Develop at least three different creatives as part of one campaign for ad content running on messenger units, home pages or full episode player spots. Repetition in the messaging can work, but repeating the same ad over and over will wear on the user.

2.  Make sure to put advertisers near relevant content. The ad should complement the content on the web page and entertain the audience.

3.  Powerful animation or messages should be executed instantly – not five seconds into the ad, especially when advertising on a homepage. People never stay on the homepage for a long period of time. They find what they are looking for and then click through to read the desired content. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to capture the web audience’s attention immediately. Over-the-Page/Floating units are great to accomplish this. Here's an example we did for Kohl’s.

4.  Take chances and be innovative in the use of formats. For instance, with a 3D cube such as in this ad for the "X-MEN Origins: Wolverine" DVD release. 

5. Keep the copy to a minimum. The message needs to be clear and captured in a very short period of time. Here's an example for the Blackberry Bold 9700.

6.  Don’t try too many things at once. Pick one strong objective and stick to it, like in this ad for Godiva Chocolatier Liqueur.

7.  Determine whether the goal is to guide the user to the client website or cause the user to interact a great deal within the ad itself. An ad with a great deal of interaction doesn’t always garner a high click-through rate, and likewise an ad that garners a great click-through rate doesn’t necessarily need a ton of interactive elements. 

If a high number of video views is the primary goal, keep these points in mind:
--Use the most impactful video to grab the user’s attention, but not longer than 15 seconds.
--All auto-initiated videos need to be short. Have multiple options for lengthier videos.
--If user initiated, the video length is a debatable point. If users click, they watch. Keep it consistent to video and limit the flash animation.
--Have HD full screen options.

Here’s an example, 

On the flip side, if a high interaction rate is the primary goal, keep these points in mind:
--Use strong a strong call to action because users need to be told what to do.
--Have multiple options within the ad (video, gallery, synopsis, etc.).
--Include rollover events that pop up creative within the ad or other features to grab the user’s attention (here’s an example for “Public Enemies”).

If a high click-through rate is the goal, keep it simple but impactful because generally speaking fewer interactions lead to a higher number of click-throughs, and utilize clear messaging to entice the user.  Check out this example for Jeep. 

Finally, if the amount of time spent is the primary goal, keep it interactive by incorporating games and quizzes—but make sure they’re kept fairly simple and always relevant to the brand. Complicated quizzes and games without any of the brand’s messaging will more than likely not achieve much in terms of brand recognition for the user. Build the games so that if the user finishes it, they think they can beat the score or feel encouraged to keep coming back for more  Here’s an example from Dove. 

8.  Make sure that the call to action is stated in the ads is clear and consistent across all of the units. Whether it be a subtle rollover state or some sort of rollover animation, a call to action needs to draw the attention of the user.

9.  Lean on your rich media vendor to make your RFP better than competitive publishers. Rich media vendors like Unicast can give insightful recommendations regarding what works versus what does not work, relevant benchmarks, mocks, creative services, and much more.

10.  Know your audience and utilize granular targeting capabilities. Targeted ads yield stronger metrics.

About Unicast
Unicast has been providing state-of-the-art rich media solutions for publishers, agencies and advertisers since 1998. Integrating creative support with campaign management and detailed analytics, Unicast technologies empower customers to manage the complex process of deploying online advertising campaigns. Unicast is a proud member of the DG FastChannel (NASDAQ: DGIT) family of companies - a multichannel distribution network of thousands of advertisers and media publishers worldwide. Today, our solutions are leveraged globally by some of the world's most esteemed brands, including AOL, Fox Interactive Media, MSN, MindShare, NBC Universal, ABC, CBS, and Initiative Media. For more information, visit www.unicast.com.

Published February 24, 2010.