Aimee Prole Lead Multimedia Developer VML

What campaigns have you worked on recently using PointRoll?

I've been working with PointRoll since 2002. Most recently the VML team and I worked on the Quit Assist Campaign and we are currently working on a new flight for Youth Smoking Prevention.

What features did you incorporate?

For these campaigns we used standard Fat Boys and Tom Boys. We also took advantage of the ability to use video.

Are you using a lot of video? If so, in what capacity?

Video is all the rage now, but I wouldn't use it unless it's worthwhile to the user and helps reach the campaign goals. For the Quit Assist Campaign we used videos of people's success stories that were shot for the website. We wanted to drive people to the site so we didn't show all of the clips in hopes that the users would click to view more. The campaign was a success, providing a higher click rate than the corresponding non-video ads.

Do you have any tips or best practices to offer other designers/developers on how to fully leverage PointRoll rich media?

#1. Keep it simple. Know what the goal of the campaign is and create your ads around that. Don't try to accomplish too many things in one space. For example: decide if you want brand interaction time or if you want to drive people to your site. This makes a big difference when deciding how much or how little you place in an ad.

#2. Take advantage of PointRoll's Ad Tracker. It is great having the ability as a creative to track how someone is using an ad. I'm always surprised when I talk to someone who built an ad and they have no idea what the campaign results were. At VML, we have been able to use this to our advantage for existing campaigns and new campaigns. We've optimized creative comparing one ad against another. We've also been able to tell what does and doesn't work, keeping this in mind for future concepts.

How do you see rich media and interactive advertising evolving over the next 5-10 years?

I remember the days back in 1999/2000 when we had to beg to have sites serve a simple Flash ad. Even though we've come so far since then, we are still at the beginning and have far more to go before the "new things" plateau. I'm sure there will be more use of video, but I think the platforms on which we view the ads will change the most. More ads will jump off web pages and onto our iPods and other new places. There'll be more live interaction with physical objects, for example talking to a billboard in Times Square. Who knows what the next few years will bring, it's all up to us.

PointRoll recently announced the newest partnership to better serve all of our clients. PointRoll has teamed up with The Aura Group, a market leader in developing web and wireless enterprise solutions. Together, PointRoll and the Aura Group will provide PointRoll MovieConnect to entertainment advertisers through PointRoll rich media ad units. This exclusive offering enables studios to circumvent short lead times and text local showtimes and theater information directly to moviegoers' mobile devices from an online advertisement.

By "rolling over" a PointRoll rich media ad unit, consumers can enter their mobile number and zip code to receive local listings and showtimes directly on their mobile device when they become available. With this same technology, advertisers are able to distribute other movie-related material with targeted text messages that increase brand awareness and ticket sales.

PointRoll MovieConnect benefits:
• Creates targeted advertising with a local focus and relevant content to increase ticket sales
• Allows tracking of individual customer interaction and behavior
• Includes extensive reporting metrics to gauge the success of the ad unit, ticket purchases and geographic hot spots
• Extends the power of rich media onto the "third" screen and increases awareness, branding and ticket sales

PointRoll first used this technology in a campaign for Focus Features release, Hot Fuzz. Reid Prichard, Director of New Media at Focus Features / Rogue Pictures said "Using PointRoll MovieConnect allowed us to immediately take our campaign beyond the ad unit and bridge the gap between the online and mobile experience. Reaching fans with relevant mobile updates and localized show times is a great way to engage the audience wherever they are."

Click here to see the Hot Fuzz Creative.