We’re excited to announce that we now offer a 5th ad type on the AvantLink platform: Flash Banners!

(Five Ad Types now available on AvantLink: Banner, Text, Html, Video, and Flash)

Merchants can now easily integrate Flash banner ads into their ad list by simply uploading a compatible .swf file (1MB size limit)*, which we’ll store and serve to Affiliates through one line of Javascript. Affiliates can then embed flash ads by pasting this Javascript on their site pages or blogs.

Rich media such as Flash has been measured as a more effective ad type, converting at higher rates than static or animated banner campaigns.

Merchants also have the option of including an alternate image file for Affiliates that will display whenever browsers do not support Flash, so there is no risk of a blank ad display. You can’t go wrong with this ad type!

Affiliates, to view all the Flash ads currently available from your active merchants follow these steps (note that we just released this new ad type functionality so you may not find very many Flash campaigns yet):

1. Login to your Affiliate account and click on “Tools” from the main menu.
2. Under Ad/Link Tools, click on “Get Merchant Ads”.
3. Leave the Merchant drop down menu blank, then select “Flash” from the Ad Type menu.
4. Click “Get Ads” to see all Flash campaigns associated with your active merchants.

You could of course filter by any of your active merchants, then select “Flash” from their respective Ad Type drop down menus. If the merchant has Flash ads configured, you’ll be returned with their Flash Ad options.

Merchants, to include Flash campaigns to your ad list it’s the same process as adding a banner campaign. Simply select the “Flash” Ad Type when creating a new campaign, and follow the instructions.

Let us know what you think, or if you have any questions.

* In order for Flash ads to function properly it must make use of the “clickTAG” parameter, as described by Adobe in their guidelines for rich media tracking. The “clickTAG” is how we provide your Flash movie with the tracking information necessary to credit the appropriate affiliate with click-throughs.