ABSTRACT
Third-party rich-media technologies are a powerful tool when it comes to advertising. As I mentioned previously, these technologies are available through companies who specialize in opening new, more captivating channels for advertisers to utilize. Without these technologies in place, Flash banners would most likely be limited to the regular old standard ads and constrained to 20-30k in file size. However, since they are available and ready to be used, we can create banners that are capable of everything from playing video to expanding out to a larger size to working like tiny websites (mini-microsites, if you will). All of these options offered by rich-media companies afford us the room to give users more information than we could fit in a standard Flash banner. And did I mention that the file sizes allowed are usually much larger than standard ads, or that unlike standard ads, you can load external files such as child swfs, xml files, and jpgs? There is even an option out there to stream full-screen video. So let’s get to the sections in this chapter:
• When to Utilize a Rich-media Technology
• Rich-media Companies
When to Utilize a Rich-media Technology One question that is often asked is, “How do I know when to choose between a richmedia technology and a standard Flash ad?” As I mentioned in Chapter 1, a key factor in this decision can be cost. However, because there are so many extra features and advantages gained through using a rich-media technology, your clients may decide that it’s well worth the extra money and it’s up to you to inform them when they should and shouldn’t utilize the technology.
