• by Laurie Sullivan  @lauriesullivan, September 30, 2013

Google has introduced professional-quality design tools Monday that allow Web designers and marketers to create HTML5 creative ads for mobile and desktop.

The free tool enables advertisers and agencies to build HTML5 creative rich media ads for default layouts in DoubleClick and AdMob, but they also can use the tools to create ads and publish them to any generic interactive environment. 

An animation feature in Quick mode builds scene by scene and an advanced mode gives designers finite control of each element on the page. Some features are only available for ads, but Google plans to expand them for other purposes.

Some 88% of advertising professionals believe HTML5 will have a positive impact on the ad industry, according to Google DoubleClick research commissioned through Illuminas. The findings reveal that advertisers expect the amount of mobile and tablet work they do to increase 41% during the next year, and more than 67% of respondents believe it's important to design specifically for mobile campaigns.

Multiscreen consumption requires close-knit integration across screens and media. HTML5 technology can support the shift. HTML5 not only suggests device-agnostic creative ads, it also offers a platform for designing interactive experiences that run across screens.

Despite the uptick in smartphones and tablets, cross-screen creative ad strategies can be difficult to adopt. In the white paper "Unlocking the HTML5 Opportunity: What’s the Holdup?" published in September, Google presents four challenges that agencies face when approaching mobile advertising. Key challenges point include: too many choices when developing for mobile; too many platforms, browsers and devices to support; and an absence of tools that simplify the development process.

The study suggests that ads containing interactive elements, like expandable content and video, will increase in use this year. In fact, 46% of ad executives admit that HTML5 makes the ad more appealing, and 44% believe it increases interaction.

Google and Microsoft Bing began rolling out an HTML5 enhanced version of their respective engines last year.