EDN Europe has run their first animated flash advert in the digital edition of the magazine. The advert is on page 5 of the October 09 issue (NB this link isn’t likely to work for ever!). The animation is about as simple as it can get, so it can be regard as a bit of a test.
Even with a little animation, the Ceros platform remains amazingly quick. I didn’t find the advert too intrusive, but I didn’t find it that compelling either – the equivalent to a flashing neon sign. A quick visit to the Ceros website shows you how much more can be accomplished using the platform, with some great examples, especially from the consumer space.
In the long run it will be interesting to see what happens with electronic advertising formats in our industry. Will people just go for the “brighter flashing neon sign” approach, making the magazine garish and distracting when you read it, or will advertisers show the creativity to generate adverts that produce real interaction? Although I am worried that magazines could end up being filled with adverts that simply distract readers, effectively reducing the value of the editorial, I’m optimistic that publishers are sensible enough to step in and prevent abuses of the format. I’m also looking forward to developing interactive adverts with clients that will themselves provide valuable and useful content such as video, which are beyond the capabilities of print.