How to get the most from rich media ads

The campaign gave consumers the ability to 'blow up' any location they wanted to - from a friend's home to a nearby restaurant. A news clip, complete with information about the explosion, was played then the ad returned to the flash-based promotion; to make the campaign viral, consumers were allowed to input friends' email addresses so that the explosions could continue friend to friend to friend.

"The goal of this campaign was to increase awareness and purchase intent for the blu-ray/dvd release of "The Day the Earth Stood Still," while engaging users with the content and increasing brand interaction time," said Mark Levien, executive director of digital at Fox Interactive. "This campaign was unique in that it displayed full screen, hi-def video and allowed users to create their own trial of destruction viral videos within the banner ad."

Not all marketers, however, have the advertising budget that movie-makers do, so Dea Lawrence, vice president of west coast sales for PointRoll has the following advice to get more from your next campaign.

First, put as much information in the banner as possible. Rather than giving a short tag line that may not make sense, tell the consumer what the video/product is from the moment the banner is seen. Second, get to the point. The KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid) principle is the same online as on television or in print: tell the consumer what is being advertised. Don't make them wonder, they will tune out and the ad will be a loss. Finally, skip flash. To capture consumers' attention, marketers need to focus on rich media and video. Too often, flash banners are lost in the shuffle because consumers are so used to seeing them.

Tags: Fox Interactive, PointRoll, rich media, video advertising, viral ads, viral marketing