New tools developed by PointRoll's Channel Team include updated video and interactive offerings, viral and mobile solutions, and expanded dynamic messaging for content to be updated in real time to reflect behavioral, demographic, or geographic changes.
This year, the Gannett subsidiary is reporting a 27% increase in custom solutions requests from its roughly 300 publisher partners. In the last year, 710 new publisher sites have started running PointRoll rich media ads. As a result, PointRoll has expanded the focus of its Channel Team to support demand.
A desire to stand out is driving the growth, according to Michael Aronowitz, vice president of channel development at PointRoll. "Publishers are looking for ways to differentiate themselves," said Aronowitz. Appealing to advertisers' desire for new and innovative rich media technology, PointRoll has made an effort to bring a steady stream of new products to market.
Most recently, PointRoll launched a collection of tools designed to help designers and developers create, develop and deliver rich media ads. Dubbed AdArchitect, the technology can be used to create ad units across PointRoll's rich media executions, including expandable, polite, and floating formats.
The company also recently teamed up with Tribune Media Services to launch a new online ad format designed to deliver TV programming information directly to Web users. Meanwhile, in April, parent company Gannett Co. formed a digital media network, which ties together roughly 100 digital communities with a combined reach of some 25 million people, and which is leveraging in-house technologies from PointRoll.
Late last year, PointRoll tapped video ad delivery platform Panache in an effort to better facilitate video campaigns with its existing publisher clients as well as Panache's publisher clients. The broader strategy behind the deal is to accelerate the shift of ad dollars from TV to the Web. According to eMarketer, brands increased online video advertising spending by 55.9% in 2008.