• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, September 28, 2011

Online ad firm Flite, formerly Widgetbox, has launched a new service called FliteHub, an open platform where developers can register app-like components for marketers to use in ad units. Launch partners providing ad-related tools include ePrize, MovieConnect, Mashery, Aditive, ChatID, and Mass Relevance.

MovieConnect, for instance, will offer a plug-in for agencies and rich media vendors to build movie showtime and ticket purchasing features into ads. ePrize will supply software that makes it easier for brands to build promotions into ads. More partners are in the pipeline, according to Flite.

Advertisers log into FliteHub to select ad components suited to specific campaigns.

Earlier this year, Flite CEO Will Price told MediaPost that the broader goal is turn standard banners into the equivalent of "mini Web pages" equipped with tabs for things like video, Twitter feeds, polls and real-time media that can be updated on the fly.  FliteHub aims to builds on that concept with a wider range of possible options for boosting engagement within ads.

Toyota, FedEx, Sony and IBM are among companies that have used what Flite’s “cloud-based” ad system, which was built on top of its existing widget technology.