AOl, Inc. announced on Feb. 27 the beta launch of Pictela Enterprise, a self-service content management system designed to allow advertisers to create, deliver and manage premium ad formats across the Web.
According to AOL, Pictela Enterprise will simplify the process of working with online display ads by speeding the process of uploading, updating and targeting high-definition creative content.
“We’re saying all this cool new advertising we do now on AOL, you can now do across the Web,” said Greg Rogers, SVP, premium formats for AOL, and co-founder and CEO Pictela, a division of AOL subsidiary Advertising.com. “Our hope is that by giving people this platform we will be able to start to scale out these ads across the web and to really make advertising more beautiful.”
Pictela Enterprise is based on a solution AOL tested internally, which managed higher-quality advertising assets, such as high-resolution photos and high-definition video, than had traditionally been used.
Pictela Enterprise is designed to allow users to upload and design a wide range of ad styles, using assets like photo slideshows, videos, coupons and recipes. The solution allows the incorporation of 22 off-the-shelf applications and allows users to customize their own applications.
At any time, content can be updated or switched out, allowing for more immediacy and relevance in the brand messaging, and bringing content directly to visitors rather than requiring them to click to a separate site.
“You can replicate the client website experience in these ads,” said Rogers, adding that they have seen interaction rates increase five- to six-fold using this platform. “When advertising becomes beautiful and managed in a stylized way, the interaction rate will increase dramatically, and the banner blindness goes away.”
Digitas and Mindshare have signed on as beta launch partners for the offering.
“In North America, we are working with our strategic partners like AOL to leverage and develop technologies like Pictela, to push adaptive marketing forward enabling, brands to create engaging brand experiences at scale, speed and with flexibility to adapt,” said Cary Tilds, leader, digital media operations for Mindshare.
According to Robyn Katz Tombacher, SVP, business operations director, Digitas, the Pictela Enterprise solution will allow Digitas to dynamically manage clients’ ad units. “It’s the first time that we’ve been given access to make real-time updates without going through a third party,” said Tombacher. “And in today’s marketplace, it’s crucial to be able to respond in real-time to what consumers want.”
