Companies employ people full time to navigate the ins and outs of digital advertising. I talked with the head of AT&T’s Advertising Solutions and got a quick introduction to digital advertising and the creative uses of rich media.

Let’s say you want to put together an advertising campaign that targets a new audience. Digital advertising can get complicated. From standard in-page ads to expanding units and video banners, there are many digital tools to choose from. For small companies and sole proprietors, this is difficult territory to navigate without a staff member devoted to this aspect of your business.

If you are a publisher with a quality brand or an advertiser, check out these websites for the companies below. This list is for people who buy, create or sell online advertising. To scan your options, open the links all together in your web browser. Then you can click through and get get a brief overview of products and services that each offers. The next step is to make a few phones calls. If the person asks you what you want to accomplish, that may be the start of a good business relationship. They can help you navigate uncharted waters. Advertising can now be delivered in many digital formats. Traditional banner ads are still a core component of many campaigns, but you may also want to consider advertising on mobile devices and other platforms.

24/7 RealMedia/OAS Scan the information pages and the list of products and services for advertisers.

ADify Cox Digital Solutions is a subsidiary of Cox Media Group with mainly high-end clients.

FacilitateDigital You can't miss the cool video banner.

AdForm Check out AdForm's creative showcase.

Adfusion Click the video demo.

AdLegend (TruEffect) TruConnect offers a campaign console, a desktop application.

AdShuffle Creative homepage. Innovative marketing tools.

AdSource This Florida-based company offers personal service.

Adventive Watch the demos.

Aggregate Knowledge This company integrates the latest technology in their data management platform.

BridgeTrack They offer a suite of tools for you to track campaigns. Owned by Sapient, the company has offices around the world.

BroadSpring Media The company behind the ANC advertising and search network. Good to know about.

Teracent Check out the Travelocity case study under advertisers solutions.

Rich Media Showcases

Microsoft Advertising They have a program for small businesses that have a limited budget for advertising.

Media Mind (Eyeblaster) Awesome homepage. Click to the page with rich media ad samples. On the expandable banner, multiple panels launch from the ad via a click, mouseover or auto-initiation.

Google (DoubleClick) The internet behemoth also has a management and ad serving company.

Dianomi The company uses SmartLinks™ and SmartAds proprietary technology that gives fresh leads to clients on a daily basis.

Emediate You can sign up for a free 30-day trial. There is a video that shows you the ins and outs of EmediateAds.

Viewpoint. The free Viewpoint Media Player is used for product tours for cars, electronics and airlines. Click Our Work to see it in action.

ePlanning They provide rich media tools.

EyeReturn They provide a very simple, easy-to-understand introduction to digital advertising.

Eyewonder Their custom ads are really spectacular.

Flashtalking This company employs tech in creative ad solutions.

Interpolls Recent campaigns show a creative use of rich media.

Linkstorm Creative use of rich media in banner ads.

MediaPlex MoJo adserver. Check out the rich media gallery.

Pointroll This Gannett subsidiary has an impressive client gallery.

Sponge Cell Based in New York, this advertising company wins top awards in digital media.

DoubleClick's Rich Media Gallery Creative team knows the tech and artistic sides of digital advertising.

Traffiq Watch the live demo to see the streaming impact of advertising.

Zedo Check out Zedo's ad server information page. I learned that ad servers have 25 different names. This ad server is for high-volume advertisers and publishers.

As you gather research, keep your marketing goals front and center. One of these companies will be an ideal partner, one who simplifies the process and provides solutions that work for your goals. You may also want to join an ad network, a company that sells advertising for a group of websites.