elsewhen - 9:16 am on Feb 1, 2006 (gmt 0)

... BTW, it sounds from this like maybe Google has turned the bidding process on its head, and the publishers that bid the lowest for running rich media spots will get the ads.

actually, it seems to make more sense for this to be an additional component to the bidding process (something that many publishers have been asking for).

perhaps the publisher sets the minimum amount she would accept for a rich ad, and the advertisers bid the maximum that would pay. google does the rest.