Bluestreak Launches Repurposing Tool

Rich media ad technology firm Bluestreak proposes to make it easier for advertisers to repurpose static Web ads into rich media, through a process it calls “Blueprints.”

Blueprints is a collection of ad formats and tools that speeds up the creation of interactive ad campaigns from existing banner creatives. For instance, the suite can transform GIF banners into a rich media ad.

While Bluestreak isn’t disclosing pricing, the procedure is cheaper than developing standalone rich media creatives. And that’s good news for advertisers — many of whom are cutting back their discretionary spending amid the economic downturn — and for cash-strapped Web publishers, who can charge higher fees for rich media creatives.

“Time-to-market and production costs are often an issue for online advertisers in today’s competitive online marketplace,” said Richard Cleveland, vice-president of marketing at Bluestreak. “Blueprints helps advertisers get interactive campaigns up and running in record time and at a substantially lower cost than made-to-order rich media. Now, advertisers need never again sacrifice performance for speed of implementation.”

The product is similar to “do-it-yourself” or animation products offered by firms like Amazing Media and MetaCreations. But Bluestreak’s also marketing Blueprints to publishers, as a tool they can offer to their advertisers — differentiating and adding value to their inventory in the process.

The suite is made up of two parts. Blueprints’ Rich Media component enables companies to add sounds, movement and call-to-action buttons to existing static ads. Additionally, Blueprints includes Bluestreak’s StreakingMedia streaming media technology to stream large ads on broadband.

Additionally, Blueprints’ Interactive tool aims to increase an ad’s conversion potential by adding templated data collection fields — asking users to enter their email addresses, for instance — to existing static or rich media ads. Those data-collection fields appear within the rich media ad when Web users click, rather than forcing them to another Web site.