aSpecial Media's ad units and formats comply with Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) dimensions but can also be customised.

• Balloon ads
  This is an independent banner ad which resides on the bottom right hand corner of the browser window. It "balloons" for a specified time and shrinks back to a non-intrusive text strip. The ad expands upon user interaction (click, roll-over or auto-initiation).
• Lightbox
  This ad expands into a full-sized box against a black tinted background within the browser window upon user interaction (click, roll-over: a delay of 3 seconds or by click when a user decides to skip the 3 second countdown), offering maximum communication for your brand message, or promotion.
• Dynamic In-Text
  This is an ad format that makes use of keywords that can be highlighted on a page and when a user clicks or scrolls over that particular keyword, the advertiser’s ad appears on the page.
• Bottoms Up
  This ad resides at the bottom of the web browser window in a non-intrusive way after a pre-expanded time-specified introduction. This expands upon user interaction (on-click).
• Site Takeover   

This ad fades in when a page of a site is loaded and it takes over the entire page, thus allowing for maximum impact for brands.

The IAB has identified 6 promising new ad units that provide the canvas for next generation brand advertising online. These new ad units were chosen from a pool of 36 innovative submissions by more than two dozen companies based on the following criteria:

These were selected based on:

• Branding – How well does the ad format provide a canvas for creativity?
• User Experience – How well does the ad format positively impact user experience?
• Functionality – How does the ad format take advantage of online user behaviors and technologies?
• Page Integration – How does the ad format enhance the relationship between the ad and publisher page layout?
• Adoption – How easily could the ad format be widely adopted by publishers?

The ad units that were selected are:

• Portrait:
  Originally known as Project Devil, AOL first introduced this 300 x 1,050 ad unit six months ago at IAB's MIXX conference. Instead of running several smaller ads on a single page, AOL runs this single larger ad to reduce clutter and increase impact.
   
• Slider:
  Ad agency Genex, working with Unicast and Mediamind, submitted this unit for consideration. An overlay appears on the bottom of a page and mimics a feature found on touch screens: users can slide the entire page over to view the ad.
   
• Billboard:
  This ad unit, advanced by Google/YouTube, is also known as the masthead. It runs the full width of a page and can be kept open or closed by a website visitor. Cautioned one ad executive: "This masthead cannot be ignored. My hope is that we do not abuse it."
   
• Filmstrip:
  Microsoft submitted this 3,000 x 300 unit, viewable through a 300 x 600 window. It, too, can also be controlled by a website visitor. Jennifer Creegan, senior director, brand display, at Microsoft Advertising, said a Chevrolet campaign launching on Microsoft in April will feature this format.
   
• Pushdown:
  Pictela designed this unit, which includes a visual toolbar that permits an advertiser to dynamically revise the creative.
   
• Sidekick:
  An expandable format advanced by Unicast, pushes page content leftward, revealing a larger unit.

Please contact us at sales@aspecialmedia.com for a more detailed discussion.