• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, March 7, 2012

Hearst Digital Media, a division of Hearst Magazines, has formed a partnership with Sprout giving the latter responsibility for creating rich-media ads for mobile and tablet devices.

Hearst Digital maintains 23 Web sites and 16 mobile sites for Hearst brands, including Marie Claire, Good Housekeeping, Cosmopolitan and Seventeen. To date, Hearst Magazines has published more than 150 applications and digital editions for the iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, as well as the Android platform.

The company will use Sprout to create HTML5 ad units for brand advertisers to run on mobile-optimized Web sites. Sprout’s platform allows clients to create, manage and optimize display advertising for devices, including smartphones, tablets, game platforms and TVs.

Laura Schooling, Hearst Digital Media's executive director of marketing services, stated that the partnership will help tailor "solutions to consumer interests and behaviors.”

Like other magazine publishers, Hearst has been investing in its digital advertising capabilities, both in terms of ad creation and distribution.

In February, Hearst Digital Media expanded its partnership with the Style Coalition, a network that brings together online beauty and fashion publishers, giving Hearst responsibility for Style Coalition’s display ad sales. Hearst and Style Coalition will also work together to develop custom marketing programs, including tailored marketing efforts drawing on Style Coalition’s network of online “influencers.”