Earlier this month, the Online Publishers Association introduced three new ad units for its members. Very large ad units. The idea is to counter the commoditization of standard display ads with a unique, eye-popping experience. Today, one of those magazine-style ads, a 336-by-860-pixel monster, debuted on NYTimes.com‘s home page…

The larger ad units can also enable interactive experiences inside of them, essentially multimedia microsites embedded in ad units. And to fend off the commoditizing effects of ad networks, advertisers and their agencies can only purchase the new ad units through the OPA members’ direct sales teams.
You can imagine applying a similar strategy to a local premium ad network run by a local TV station or newspaper.
(Full disclosure: I work for msnbc.com, which is a member of the OPA.)


