• Adweek, Friday, August 8, 2008 11:31 AM

Microsoft's Avenue A/Razorfish, an advertising and marketing services agency, is testing new display units that integrate social media features into banner ads, Adweek reports. The company is working with Pluck, a social software services provider, on a three month test with an undisclosed roster of clients. Pluck delivers social software to sites like WashingtonPost.com, USAToday.com and CircuitCity.com.

The new units, called AdLife, are the same size as traditional banner ads. They include social features like customer reviews and ratings; users will be able to submit feedback and other user-generated content directly into the units.

The test is part of a broader push to bring new functionality to banner ads, which Adweek says, "have become often overlooked pieces of real estate that continue to draw overall click rates well below 1 percent." As Shiv Singh, global social media lead for Avenue A/Razorfish, says, "Customers listen to other customers more than anything else. It makes sense for the ad unit to carry customer voices."

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