Advertising

Perhaps one of the most prolific uses of Flash on the Web is in advertising. Like any type of animation though, especially when used to advertise something in which you are not interested, these uses can be quite annoying. But when the advertising is something that you are actually requesting, it can become very nice. While I couldn't find a high quality educational example just yet, that doesn't mean that the possibility is not there. Consider the following example from Sony Pictures. Just about every movie site out there right now is using Flash to advertise their new movies. This one for Spider Man was one of the best so far.

Why is the Spider Man site humbly considered one of the best by this author? First, the Flash animation itself is not forced upon you. You are given the option of either entering the Flash site or leaving. Furthermore, it is given in multiple languages, something few sites are doing even today. Next, almost all Flashed sites will have an introduction, but most quality sites will also provide you with a button to skip this introduction, as found to the bottom right during the introduction on this site. Once within the Flash movie, the navigation makes sense and is well organized. Also, the content takes advantage of the power of Flash and there is a lot of content at that. There may even be too much content as it gives away a lot of the film (so try not too go to far into the Flash animation if you really want the movie to remain unspoiled) Finally, a button is included to Close the movie when you are finished and want to return to your Web browsing. For all of these reasons and more, I listed this as an exemplary site.