Hot List: Online Branding, Rich Media, Video and BT

Advertising.com has released the results of its third annual survey of interactive publishers, finding that publishers expect increased spending for online branding from advertisers, as well as increased support for video, rich media and behavioral targeting, and continued growth for large creative formats.

Rise of Online Branding
More than 40 percent of publishers cite branding as their advertisers' main objective, more than a 100 percent increase over 2005.

New Formats
About 67 percent of publishers support contextual advertising, up from 50 percent in 2005. Moreover, they are also now supporting brand-focused creative capabilities:
- 76 percent support rich media, up from 69 percent in 2005
- 35 percent support video, compared with 25 percent in 2005
- 30 percent rely on behavioral targeting, up from 25 percent in 2005

Creative Trends
Text ads are listed at the most profitable ad units followed by standard banner ads and large rectangles at 15.9 percent and 14.6 percent, respectively, predicted by publishers to bring in the most revenue.

Pop-ups are on the decline for the first time in three years and are not expected to be a profitable format in the forseeable future.