• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, March 4, 2009

Mobile ad network Ringleader Digital plans to offer advertisers and publishers rich media ads through a new partnership with ad technology company EyeWonder.

Under the agreement, EyeWonder will integrate its online ad-serving platform with Ringleader's system and the companies will work together to develop new formats geared to mobile devices. The ad companies are betting that the growing adoption of smartphones and mobile media will increase demand for more interactive forms of mobile advertising.

"The trend in the marketplace is heading toward rich media, with the T-Mobile G1 to the BlackBerry Storm and the iPhone now capable of handling more advanced ad creative, so the timing is right to align ourselves with rich media ad firms online and give them channel to get into mobile marketplace," said Ringleader CEO Bob Walczak.

He added that ad formats tailored to mobile applications on the iPhone and other smartphones would likely generate the most demand initially. Other mobile ad companies such as AdMob and JumpTap have also created ad units designed specifically for the iPhone. "But as mobile browsers and sites become more advanced, we'll see more rich media formats coming in there, too," said Walczak.

To date, the bulk of mobile marketing dollars have been spent on text message ads. That's because messaging is the most common mobile data activity, and text campaigns offer a relatively simple way for brands to get into mobile advertising. How willing they are to explore more costly rich media ads on mobile phones in the midst of a recession is a key question.

Despite the downturn, Ringleader continues to see strong growth in its business, Walczak said. He believes that offering more Internet-like ads on mobile screens will only spur marketers to extend campaigns to handheld devices. "Rich media will make advertisers realize that more can be done with a mobile device than just talking," he said. "We're focused on delivering the same experience users are getting online, so it's really a digital buy rather than a mobile buy."

To that end, Ringleader last year introduced its "media stamp"--a cookie-like item that creates and stores profiles about users based on the mobile sites they visit. Unlike traditional online cookies, however, the media stamps are stored on the company's servers rather than browsers, preventing users from deleting them.