Gallop & Gallop Advertising in Toronto has launched its answer to the confusing world of on-line advertising ­ the Virtual Billboard Network.

The service allows advertisers to plan, create and distribute on-line ‘billboards’ or banners promoting their products through the use of on-line management programs.

Clients create an interactive board, called a liveAD, which appears on Web sites of interest to their target audience. Add-on pages, to which access can be gained through the banner, hold additional information about the product.

Rather than merely linking users to the advertiser’s on-line site, users clicking on the banner reach a menu which offers a range of options. For example, they can get coupons, play games related to the product, order samples, buy products and send comments and questions to the advertiser.

‘There are literally thousands of Web sites out there,’ says Chris Larsen, vice-president and general manager of Gallop & Gallop Worldwide, the out-of-home media supplier’s new Internet subsidiary. ‘The opportunities for advertising on-line are enormous.’

Unlike traditional advertising methods, clients can get almost instant feedback about whether their on-line strategy is working, according to Larsen. Advertisers on vbn pay only when a client clicks on their billboard.

The interactive technology also allows advertisers to become more creative with their messages. A car company, for example, may develop a computer game on its billboard that it could never run using traditional media.

‘We’ve developed this service to simplify on-line advertising,’ says Larsen. ‘The Virtual Billboard allows advertisers to expand how they promote their products.’

The Virtual Billboard address is www.virtualbillboard.net.