• by Bill McCloskey , May 1, 2001

Recently we conducted a survey where we asked agencies and publishers to list, in their opinion, the most pressing problems facing Rich Media. The most popular answers by far where a 1. A lack of standards for Rich Media, and 2. A need for education.

We'll tackle the standards issue in a future column, but I think it is time for some good old-fashioned Rich Media 101.

What most people who write about the Internet forget is that most people are just getting into the Internet. You have to assume no prior knowledge. For instance, last week I was speaking at a conference and was presenting my usual "Rich Media Rules" speech and during the break someone came up to me asked: "What's the difference between a SUPERSTITIAL and an interstitial."

Now this is a good question, asked by someone who is smart, interested, and motivated. But I have to admit, it took me aback for a second. I mean, if this obviously knowledgeable person has to ask me this question, did I just waste my time on stage talking over everyone's head?

But then it dawned on me. This is exactly the kind of person the online world has been talking about attracting: the mythical traditional advertiser. Those of us who speak and write about this stuff need to recalibrate: most people do not have the scar tissue we carry. Most people are just learning. So boys and girls, gather round: I'm going to tell you a tale: The tale of Rich Media.

Basically you can divide Rich Media into three distinct groups: Vector-based Rich Media, Streaming-based Rich Media, and Programming-based Rich Media. Each group, while embracing a myriad of different technologies, shares common characteristics.

Let's take vectors. Certainly the best known vector-based Rich Media is Macromedia Flash, but it is not the only one. Here's what vector-based technologies share in common:

1. They are plug-in dependant. Vector files are, in simple terms, a very compact set of instructions on how to draw an image. They are not the image itself. These instructions need something that lives on your computer that can read the instructions and draw the picture. That's where the plug-in comes in. It reads the instructions and draws the picture. This makes vectors...

2. Scalable. This means that it doesn't matter if the image is 60 pixels wide or 600 pixels wide; the file size is basically the same. This makes vectors great for narrow band connections. Full screen, full motion graphics are achievable using vector graphics.

Here's the scoop on Streaming-based Rich Media:

1. Also plug-in based (and before any of you write letters to me saying you have a marvelous streaming solution that requires no plug-in, read below.) The leading plug-ins are Windows Media Player, the Real Player, and QuickTime. There are a ton of statistics that show that individuals engaged in viewing streaming media represent a movement far up the evolutionary scale. To summarize the studies, these people buy a lot of stuff on-line and spend most of their waking hours cruising the net.

2. Streaming Rich Media allows for video and audio files of any arbitrary length to be played online, which gives Coca-Cola an opportunity to re-purpose some of those Cliff Freeman ads and get a bit of their money back.

And finally Programming-base Rich Media:

1. Here we have Java, JavaScript (not related) and DHTML. Everything you can do with streaming and vector formats, you can do with Java: except you don't need a plug-in! So why wouldn't everyone use Java or some other programming language to do Rich Media?

2. Well, like everything that is powerful, it can also difficult and expensive to do right and it demands specialized skills and technology: skills beyond the ability of most agencies and production houses.

3. Unless of course you use any of the many brand name Java-based tools like Bluestreak or Enliven that have templatized the production process and put the power of Java into the reach of most agencies. If you want to capture emails, do transactions, or stream video without a plug-in, Java is the way to go.

So there you have it. Rich Media in a nutshell. And all three categories of Rich Media can be used in most platforms: Email, Banners and Buttons, and even SUPERSTITIALs.

So what is the difference between a SUPERSTITIAL and an interstitial? The first person (who doesn't work at Unicast) to write me with the correct answer will get a free copy of Emerging Interest's latest white paper, "Rich Media: by marketing objective."

See you next week.

- Bill McCloskey is Founder and CEO of Emerging Interest, an organization dedicated to educating the Internet advertising and marketing industry about rich media and other emerging technologies. He may be reached at bill@emerginginterest.com.