Google has unveiled a new interactive ad format, Gadget Ads.

Gadget ads – non-traditional ad units with interactive, rich media capabilities – not only enable advertisers to target audiences in a flexible and timely manner via regular updates within the ad unit, but also allow users to engage with ad content in a way static ads haven’t facilitated in the past.

These ads claim are meant to transcend rich media, and Google calls them “websites within websites”, and these will be used in the traditional method of advertising on AdSense publishers. Also, the “gadgets” will be available in the iGoogle gadgets directory. These will incorporate “data feeds, maps, images, audio, video, Flash, HTML or JavaScript in a single creative”.

I am surprised it took this long for Google to introduce a rich media ad format alternative, but I am sure that this new alternative will attract a lot (and bigger) business for Google AdWords. Aimed at larger corporations and no doubt at shorter term campaigns, in beta testing the results are apparently very positive.

For more information about Google Gadget Ads, here is the new home of Gadget Ads

In related news: Google has also introduced Google mobile ads. Pssht.