Mobile ad company LeadBolt wanted a new way for brands to advertise on smartphones. Something different from the standard banner ads.

So the company created what it calls a “floating ad” – small bubbles on a mobile screen that can be popped to reveal a brand’s message.

The product launched two weeks ago, and Dale Carr, founder and chief executive of LeadBolt in the Mid-Wilshire District, said he believes people don’t like mobile banner ads so he wanted to provide a more entertaining and interactive option.

“Typically, you’ve got a banner that comes on top and the bottom of the screen,” he said. “We want to get through that bad user experience and we want it to be a fun experience.”

The floating ad only appears in mobile apps. People will see a moving bubble in various shapes with a branded image. If they touch it, it “pops” and leads to the advertiser’s website.

The floating ad costs the advertiser from five cents per click to as much as several dollars said Carr. The company splits the revenue with the app developer, who receives between 70 percent to 95 percent.

LeadBolt was founded in Sydney in 2010 and opened its headquarters in Los Angeles two years later. It has a staff of 55 and works with brands such as Walt Disney Co. in Burbank and Zynga in San Francisco. Carr said 2012 revenue was above $20 million, has grown since and the company is profitable.

The floating ads can be displayed on Android and Apple devices.

“Floating ads are a take on mobile advertising where we are immersing an end user in an experience that’s different to what they’ve encountered before,” he said.

– Subrina Hudson