• by Kate Kaye , June 23, 2004

At France's Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival, excessive schmoozing and flamboyance are to be expected. Some things, however, such as the nomination of a rich media technology firm, are bound to raise a few eyebrows.

At this year's 51st annual AdFest, among creative giants such as Omnicom Group's Goodby, Silverstein & Partners and R/GA sits none other than United Virtualities, a tech firm that's known more for its Shoskele floating ad format than for its creative prowess. The company delivered back-end technology, as well as creative for a high-definition video ad developed for Nextel in partnership with Interpublic Group of Cos.' McCann-Erickson, Argentina.

Nominated for best "Digital Video Spots for Internet," the ad showcases ShoshTV HD, United Virtualities' new streaming video technology. The high-resolution ad was shot for television and re-purposed for the Web. The technology evaluates users' computer capabilities, and serves non-HD (high-definition) video to those without HD-capable systems. Like other interactive ad technologies developed by United Virtualities, as well as those of the majority of its competitors, ShoshTV ads require no downloads or plug-ins to play.

The nominated spot promotes Nextel's phone services, taking a jab at people who pay too much for mobile service. In the ad, a businessman deliberately truncates and skips words to mimic bad cell phone reception. His goal: to get his colleague to call him back, so he won't have to pay for the call. A viewing window displays the video and allows users to pause and play the ad at will; users can also click to hear audio of two alternate cell phone cost-saving tricks, "Fake Getting Cut Off" and "Fake Interference." According to Mookie Tenembaum, founder of United Virtualities, the ad has run on several Argentina-based Web sites. ShoshTV ads for AstraZeneca's Nexium and Kawasaki Motors are in the works.

Tenembaum emphasizes the importance of recognizing the unique qualities of each medium, even when it comes to putting a television ad on the Web. Taking advantage of the Internet's interactive capabilities is imperative, he believes. "Every time you take just a video and put it online," he opines, "it's like taking something from one medium and transplanting it without any adaptation to the new medium."

United Virtualities is not alone in its promotion of high-resolution Web video ad technology. Unicast has also touted its full-page ad format, which delivers video at the same rate as broadcast television, 30 frames per second.

Being considered in the same company as world-renowned creative shops is rare for rich media technology companies. The United Virtualities ad is up against tough competition in the short list of nominees for online digital video spots. Goodby has five Budweiser spots in the running, R/GA has two for Nike Basketball, and Dutch shop Fuel Europe is contending with an ad for Volvo S40.

Although other rich media ad format providers including PointRoll and Eyeblaster offer creative services to clients, most are more apt to promote the strengths of their technologies, and typically work hand-in-hand with agencies and advertisers that develop ad creative.

Last year, United Virtualities garnered a New York Festivals International Interactive Award for a Shoshkele ad featuring the Polaroid One Camera, in which a series of Polaroid photographs emerges from a montage of celebratory family photos gliding across the screen.

This year's Cannes Lions Festival runs through June 26. U.S.-based agency creative execs on the Cyber Lions Jury that will judge interactive ad nominees are Jury President and R/GA Chairman, CCO, CEO Robert Greenberg; Kevin Flatt, creative director interactive at Fallon, Minneapolis; and Sasha Kurtz, creative director at New York's Dotglu and former creative director at R/GA.