• by Staff Writers , September 6, 2007

Interactive advertisers showcase their creativity with banners that draw users in and then expand when clicked on.

Carat Fusion

Reebok, Football

Giancarlo Pisani, Art Director; Ted Roberts, Peter Karacas, Flash Development; Terry Sinay, Production Designer; Scott Kogos, Project Manager; Elaine Harris, Account Supervisor

With this ad, carat fusion showcased NFL pro athletes in hopes of enticing high school football players to try Reebok cleats. The ads, which used advanced rollover Flash animation and 3D programs, invited users to a virtual locker room chalkboard, where they could find out which NFL superstars they most resemble, and which performance cleats best suit their style. The spinning locker room chalkboard displays classic, chalk-marked X and O play formations, allowing visitors to select their positions. Choosing particular styles results in recommendations for cleats worn by the NFL athlete most similar to that style of play. The helpful cleat recommendation is displayed with an action shot of the NFL athlete along with a quote about how they feel in the product. Ads ran on sites like NFL.com, CBSSportsline.com, Yahoo Music, IGN, UGO, StackMag and MaxPreps. The unit went live on June 15, 2007.

GSD&M

Air Force/”Do Something Amazing”

Daniel Russ, Group Creative Director; Tim Sabo, Creative Director/Art Director; Christopher Staub, Associate Creative Director/Copy Writer; Sean Keith, Associate Creative Director/Art Director; Shane Diver, Interactive Art Director; Jeff Bond, Interactive Agency Producer; Laura Carter, Video Producer; Lee Piltz, Account Director; Norah Rudyk, Account Supervisor

 Targeting young U.S. men, ages 16-24, this campaign aimed to show activities of Air Force personnel beyond simply flying planes. Ads emphasized the humanitarian relief efforts, by showing a plane dropping parachutes; those parachutes then frame a banner ad that takes users to a site where they can learn about Air Force life through a combination of unscripted video from Airmen and simulations of their on-the-job activities. Overall, the effort drew more than 2 million site visits from Sept. 18th, 2006 to March 31, 2007. Visitors spent an average of more than six minutes on the site and viewed more than 5 million videos.

Juxt Interactive

The Coca-Cola Company

Todd Purgason, Creative Director; Jorge Fino, Art Director; Edward Herda, Copywriter; Katie Case and Kim Phillips, Project Manager; Emily Spangler, Account Director; Victor Allen, Technical Director.

 Drawing on the “video game” campaign, this expandable banner ad features Ray, the main character from “Grand Theft Auto,” who looks like a thug but eschews violence in favor of spreading goodwill; instead of grabbing purses, he hands out Cokes.

This expandable banner ad allowed users to send digital “gifts” — like a MySpace theme, screensaver, wallpaper or IM icon — directly from it. Users who clicked on Ray’s image in the ad could navigate to a customized Ray-themed MySpace profile page.