Advertising.com Unveils Rich Media Ad Network

America Online subsidiary Advertising.com has launched an automated rich media ad network with more than 55 publishers.

“Until now, advertisers who wanted to run the most advanced rich-media ads had to hand-pick publishers that could handle them. It meant managing multiple placements with multiple specifications, and it limited the volume of consumers that could be reached. Our new network eliminates these issues,” Scott Ferber, president and CEO of Advertising.com, said in a statement.

The network covers multiple verticals, with a concentration in entertainment and sports sites, which tend to produce higher interaction rates with rich-media formats. Advertising.com didn’t reveal the names of specific sites in the network.

The company has standardized its ad specifications for the network and has established preferred partnerships with technology vendors Eyeblaster, PointRoll and DART Motif. Advertisers will be able to create and serve rich-media advertisements from these vendors without additional serving fees.

“With a single ad buy and a single set of creative specifications, advertisers can reach millions of users each month across leading rich-media-enabled websites,” Ferber said.

Previously, Advertising.com served user-initiated rich media formats. In the new network, advertisers can also choose from more invasive ads like floating, auto-expandable and sound-enabled ad units. At launch, the network reaches 78 million monthly unique visitors with 2.4 billion monthly available impressions.