Two Internet publishers touted new ad units this month that they say will help advertisers increase brand awareness.
Disney Online launched a rich media creative called the “Magic Banner” that features an animation at the top of the page that originates outside the perimeter of the ad space, then draws the guest's attention to the ad itself.
“This creative design allows site advertisements to interact with the navigational and logo space of the Disney.com home page as well as several other highly visited areas of the site,” according to the company.
The ad's first user is Mazda MPV. The animation is a minivan “driving” across the top of the page, which draws consumers to a 630×70-pixel ad unit that touts the Mazda Raceway page on its site. Clicking anywhere on the ad, consumers are taken to the page, where they can take a virtual tour of the new Mazda MPV, enter a sweepstakes, play games and send e-cards.
The Wall Street Journal also introduced a “Brand Launch” unit on its site, which “launches” the ad upward, covering the top right corner of the Journal's front page. The ad expands, then slides back to its normal position.
“Independent and proprietary research shows that our subscribers are interested in finding out about new products and services … and this option creates optimum attention for our marketers' campaigns and products,” said Randy Kilgore, executive director of sales for The Wall Street Journal Online.
