NEW YORK: Eyeblaster, which claims to be the leader in rich media delivery and management, has announced the launch of Eyeblaster 5.3. This is the latest upgrade to its rich media platform.
Eyeblaster 5.3 includes enhancements that make it easier for online advertisers to create, manage, and track rich media campaigns directly, and produce more effective online campaigns. One such enhancement is the ability to serve larger file-sizes of up to one megabyte (1 MB).
An official release informs that AOL UK will use the new technology to launch a 1 MB rich-media ad for its AOL Music Sessions@AOL.
Sessions@AOL is the AOL-produced, exclusive in-studio performance and interview series that spotlights some of the biggest names in music, including Madonna, Red Hot Chili Peppers, LeAnn Rimes. The ad, using Eyeblaster's expandable banner ad format, will combine music video segments from various artists in a fast-moving Flash MX-based environment upon user interaction.
The 1 MB limit can be used for Flash files in all seven Eyeblaster ad formats, including floating ad, commercial break, interstitial window ad, and full-page overlay formats. AOL UK's senior label relations manager Sarah Western commented, "It's our goal to make AOL Music the premier music destination on the web, and Sessions@AOL is integral to that. Eyeblaster gives us the perfect vehicle to show how entertaining and engaging Sessions@AOL performances and interviews really are."
Web publishers who have stayed away from ads with large file sizes in the past have often done so as a result of concerns about their affect on website usability, as well as poor experiences with older video streaming methods. Eyeblaster removes those concerns by combining best-of-breed solutions in one platform, which results in surprising creative power and a user-friendly viewing experience.
These solutions include the following:
* Data streaming is now combined with Eyeblaster's polite download, so the rich media portion of the ad can download quickly without affecting the website user's experience.
* Automatic and manual "buffering" controls for the streaming process have been added to maximize the user experience and the number of ad plays. The buffer, which is the amount of the ad that loads before the ad begins to play, can be adjusted in the new product version based on bandwidth, ad file size and agency and publisher preference.
* Closer integration with Flash MX allows all popular video formats to be imported into a Flash video and easy creative set up.
Eyeblaster CEO Gal Trifon said, "Technology that supports web content created for broadband users, including advertising, is vitally important now that broadband usage is substantial. With our latest platform enhancements, Eyeblaster has created the easiest system for creating and delivering bandwidth-targeted online ad content. The possibilities for richer, more visually creative ads have expanded dramatically."
