Rich media advertising services provider Enliven Inc. debuted an entry-level software program yesterday called Enliven for GIF, which it said allows marketers to create GIF-based ads featuring mouse rollover effects with audio or an image and drop-down menus. The software is meant to complement its flagship Enliven software.
The company said Enliven for GIF works with any size ad. It said the software results in up to three times as many click throughs as standard GIF banners and conversion rates that are eight times higher.
“Enliven for GIF is an entry-level tool for moving people away from standard GIF-based advertising,” said Scott Kliger, Enliven's interim chairman/CEO.
The company's Enliven for Macromedia Director is intended as a branding platform that allows for the creation of complex ads that will engage the consumer, he said.
The company also added Enliven for Director to its ad-creating software products. The program can be used to create arcade-style games, custom Java ads and many types of streaming ads.
The company plans to market the three products as a suite, which will include its flagship Enliven software, based on Macromedia's Flash product. The company said the suite supports the new Interactive Advertising Bureau ad formats.
Enliven, which converts a Flash-based movie into an interactive Enliven ad, now includes beefed-up measurement, tracking and reporting of all consumer interaction within the ad.
“Flash has become a very, very popular choice for creating ads,” Kliger said. “You can have a more emotive type of ad.”
He noted that Enliven for Flash offers integrated data capture, instant e-mail delivery from the ad, live surveys with real-time results and printing from directly within the ad.
Enliven, Waltham, MA, was founded in 1995 as Narrative Communications Corp. In 1997 it debuted the first rich media ad with its Enliven product. Excite@Home acquired the company in 1998. In February, it was spun off from Excite@Home as privately held Enliven Inc.
