Graphics Reference
In-Depth Information
decision can be cost. However, because there are so many extra
features and advantages gained through using a rich-media tech-
nology, 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.
Audio/Video
For those that have done any work with audio and/or video, it
'
s
Inside Advertising
pretty obvious that you
d be safe betting against much (if any) of
it fitting in a Flash file that
'
s constrained to 40k. Those banner
ads that will use audio or video are prime candidates for use
of a rich-media technology. With companies like Eyeblaster,
EyeWonder, and PointRoll, your media can actually be streamed
into the ad.
The only usual requirement is that you can
'
With the audio and video
capabilities of the Internet
increasing by leaps and
bounds every day, more
and more video is being
produced specifically for
online use. Although some
ads and microsites may
show video that was
originally created for
television, others are
allowing viewers to watch
content that was scripted,
directed, and produced
especially for that ad or
site.
t start the audio
until a user interacts with the banner. While it may seem that it
would be beneficial to start playing your audio as soon as the ban-
ner appears on a user
'
s screen, this requirement can actually work
in your favor. If a user went to a Web site that was running your
ad and your ad immediately started playing sounds, then that user
could very easily get annoyed with your banner and thereby
annoyed with your client. Imagine a user at work in a quiet office
who doesn
'
t realize his/her speakers are turned on and all of
thesudden,youradstartsblaringouttheaudiofromoneofyour
client
'
s commercials. Another bad situation would be the potential
consumer who is using a dial-up connection (yes, they are still out
there in fairly large numbers). These users are the reason I would
even suggest that you refrain from playing a video in a muted
state. Instead, give them instruction on how to start viewing the
video. Although the key word is
'
t want to
be a bandwidth hog unless users want you to be one. If any of
theseusersrunintoyourbanneragain,theymaystarttobuilda
worse opinion about your client than they would have otherwise.
However, if you put users in control, the opposite may happen.
They may watch the video and be entertained by it or they may
pay more attention and learn something about your client that they
didn
“
streaming,
”
you still don
'
t know before. The key, again, is putting users in control
rather than forcing it on them and eating up their bandwidth with-
out their consent. Another good thing about waiting for user inter-
action is that you generally start the video over when they click. By
doing this, you can be sure that users viewed the entire video (or
at least that they didn
'
t miss the beginning of it). And finally, at the
end of the video, you can give them an opportunity to click
through to the site where they can learn more information from
watching more videos or a longer version of the one in the ad.
Again, more interaction and time spent with the brand.
'
