By: E&P Staff Online advertisements continue to grow in size, with washingtonpost.com launching today what it calls the largest home page ad available on any major news site.
Dubbed the Homepage Marquee, the 336 X 850-pixel unit sits on the right-hand side of the site's home page about midway down the page. Marriott International Inc. is the first company to buy the slot and American Airlines is scheduled to use the position later, according to washingtonpost.com. The same size ad sits on some article pages of washingtonpost.com, but this is its first appearance on the home page.
"The large amount of space offered by the Homepage Marquee allows advertisers to produce brand ads that very effectively grab the attention of users," said Washingtonpost.Newsweek Interactive CEO and Publisher Caroline Little, in a statement. It "creates a large an compelling advertising experience without infringing on the user experience or editorial space."
James A. Hering, senior vice president and director of TM Interactive, the Dallas-based agency representing American Airlines, added, "We know that bigger is better online in terms of creating brand impact and results. This new unit ... is a great example of a publisher pushing the edge of the online ad industry to deliver a breakthrough presence for our client."
A spokesman for washingtonpost.com said the site did user testing on the new unit and found that most Internet users will be able to see the ad without lots of scrolling.
The unit can be viewed at washingtonpost.com, although the unit will alternative with other size ads. Visitors may also view the new format at
washingtonpost.com/marquee.
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