Rich media ad firm Point-Roll yesterday introduced its Free-Forms takeover ad technology, enabling ad designers to create rich media mouse-over ads of any size or shape.
The company also said its Free-Forms technology enables designers to move objects around the screen and, using transparent backgrounds, give the illusion that the ad is non-rectangular. As with all of Point-Rolls ads, Free-Forms starts out as a typical banner ad, which the user must roll the mouse over to initiate the Flash animation. Ads using Point-Roll's Free-Forms technology can be used in a rectangular or skyscraper banner or a button.
“Our mission is to replace page based ads with Point-Roll interactive ads and Free-Forms allows our interactive ads to be more compelling for both advertiser and publisher,” said Jules Gardner, Point-Roll's CEO.
Point-Roll's Free-Forms takeover ad technology is similar to offerings available from eyeblaster and United Virtualities, which makes the Shoshekele ad unit. All three firms' ads cover the entire viewable area of a Web page with animation. However, most ads created using these formats run for a couple of seconds before shrinking into a banner or skyscraper on the page.
But Point-Roll's technology is designed to only run after users have moved their mouse over a banner. The company said the resulting ad is less intrusive than auto-loading takeover ads.
The first advertiser to use Point-Roll's new Free-Forms technology is Universal Studios, which is using it to promote its release of the movie SpyGames on DVD.
