Dive Brief:
- Yahoo has a launched a new high-definition photo ad product called "Image Ads" that will appear among Yahoo slideshows and other photo-centric Yahoo properties.
- According to a Yahoo blog post, Image Ads will create a "natural ad experience" and will appear in places like Yahoo Sports, omg, Yahoo Music and Yahoo TV.
- What sets Yahoo Image Ads apart from many other image-based ads, like those on Facebook or Twitter, is that they will be placed in slideshows that users have to click through horizontally, making them harder to ignore than those in a stream that users can scroll past.
Dive Insight:
Ads within a slideshow are not a new or groundbreaking idea, but developing HD photos and redesigning the ads to be more "native" should help with engagement. As with other forms of native ads, it may take users a bit longer to recognize ads made to blend into a slideshow. Additionally, the ads are responsive to screen size and are already in use by Sony, FIAT and Relativity Media.