This post was most recently updated on August 23rd, 2019
Looking for a way to spice up the ads on your website? Filmstrip might do just the trick. The filmstrip is an ad format developed by Microsoft Advertising, and it’s now supported by DoubleClick Ad Exchange.
Filmstrip ads are engaging and interactive ads that allow users to click through five slides that tell a story. The units are 300×600, but because they include five slides, the total creative canvas for the advertisers to play with is 300×3000.
To run Filmstrip ads, you have to meet the following prerequisites.
- Inventory must be 300×600 in size
- You must opt for display ads
- You must be opted into “Image & Flash” ads
Simple, huh?
Once you do those things, you’re ready to add Filmstrip ad units to Ad Exchange.
Filmstrip, in a nutshell
Filmstrip is a new and unique Ad Format introduced and pioneered by Microsoft Advertising. As I briefly mentioned before, it’s a large canvas that’s viewable through a smaller ad window that the user can control.
This way, you can have the brand engagement capabilities of a large banner ad without the intrusiveness of a big, garish banner ad on your site. Advertisers love this new ad format because it means that they have more canvas space to work with. Publishers love it because they have very high engagement levels (which advertisers are willing to pay for in terms of higher CPMs).
The ad unit allows advertisers to align the five segments to the five stages of the purchase funnel:
- Awareness
- Interest
- Desire
- Intent
- Loyalty
Each time a customer clicks ahead in the ad unit, they move to the next segment of the funnel. This ability to guide customers through the ad is unprecedented in display advertising. A billboard can only be aligned with one or two of those stages at a time. A Filmstrip ad is aligned with all three.
So what’s all the fuss about Filmstrip?
The filmstrip is turning heads in the ad world all over the place. That’s because the Interactive Ad Bureau (IAB), an advertising organization that aims to develop industry standards, conduct research and provide legal support for online advertising companies, just designated Filmstrip an IAB Rising Star.
IAB Rising Stars are considered user-friendly ad units, and Filmstrip certainly fits that bill. IAB chose Filmstrip as a rising star because it gives the advertisers a more creative and interesting way to connect with their desired audience. It’s unintrusive and isn’t annoying, so it won’t harm your brand if you run Filmstrip ads on your site.
The filmstrip was selected as an IAB Rising Star through a testing process that vetted its engagement level, brand development ability, and canvas richness. IAB determined that Filmstrip was the most innovative new ad unit of 2012.
Now that Filmstrip is compatible with Google Ad Exchange, you can run Filmstrip ads on your own sites. Give it a shot! We think you’ll like it.
Kean Graham is the CEO and founder of MonetizeMore & a pioneer in the Adtech Industry. He is the resident expert in Ad Optimization, covering areas like Adsense Optimization,GAM Management, and third-party ad network partnerships. Kean believes in the supremacy of direct publisher deals and holistic optimization as keys to effective and consistent ad revenue increases.