Narrative Communications Corp. said it will integrate IBM HotMedia Java-based
authoring tools with its Enliven 3.0 Web advertising campaign measurement,
reporting, and transactional capabilities.
The combination of Enliven and IBM HotMedia was made to allow advertisers
to take
consumers on vehicle test drives, new product demos, and home tours, offer
additional information and commerce capabilities within the ad, and receive
immediately measurable campaign results, Narrative said.
“IBM has used Enliven for several successful campaigns,” said Marianne
Caponnetto, director of IBM worldwide media strategy and operations,
corporate marketing. “Enliven with HotMedia
will provide advertisers with the best of both worlds from lightweight
delivery and front-end creative to back-end reporting.” Financial terms of
the arrangement were not disclosed.
Enliven with HotMedia will use virtual reality technologies to create a new
type of online ad that gives viewers control over what they see in an
advertising image. Using their mouse, viewers will be able to pan, scroll, and
zoom in on the plug-in-free images, Narrative said.. The persistent caching
capabilities of Enliven 3.0 and the small HotMedia Java applet minimize
download times to promote greater interactivity from browsers.
3D object movie “fly-arounds” will allow viewers to look at objects from all
sides, such as a computer or automobile, giving a complete sense of the
product’s appearance. Panoramic image tours will allow viewers to “step inside
and look around” as if they were in the center of the space in the image,
Narrative said. The experience gives the viewer a sense of “being there,” from
a small environment, such as a car interior where the viewer sits in the
drivers seat, to larger environments, such as the living room of a home for
sale. Zoomable images will allow viewers to see a high level of detail, such
as the instruments on a car dashboard or the wallpaper of a banquet room.
Another new feature of Enliven 3.0, Enliven Expand, will provide more ad space
for special effects capabilities. Enliven Expand enables users to expand the
size of an ad on a Web page with an ad click or mouse hover, giving content
developers more space for more immersive creative.
“The new Enliven with HotMedia capabilities will not only make these online
ads more potent, but can help advertisers target certain sectors of their
audience very well,” said Hilmi Ozguc, CEO of Waltham, MA-based Narrative.
“Viewers will get a fuller sense of a product or service to help move them
along the decision-making process. . . ”
Enliven with HotMedia is scheduled to be available for the creation of
fourth quarter
1998 advertising campaigns.
