Last week, Google announced the launch of a new responsive ad unit in beta that will allow ads to automatically adjust for different screen sizes on different devices.  The move from Google solidifies that "responsive design" has officially graduated from buzz word to common practice.

In the broadest of terms, responsive design is a web design process that adapts content, including advertising, to best fit the site, device and user’s needs. The adaptations aren’t restricted to just resizing the ad; responsive ads are also designed to function differently in each device. For example, the same ad may be shakeable on a smartphone and mouse hover-able on a PC.

In a world where mobile use is increasing by the minute, and consumers are often simultaneously using two screens, the need to quickly adapt content across screens can no longer be ignored. The Google AdSense responsive ad unit provides an easy transition for developers who have already been working on responsive web site designs.  Designers can use the asynchronous ad code and the same CSS media queries they are used to in developing ads for the responsive ad unit.

For advertisers interested in entering the world of responsive ads, as many should be, there are a few things to keep in mind before you jump in. A report from IAB outlines a few recommendations for advertisers about responsive designs.

There are two main ways responsive creative is being built today:

• Stretch. This approach uses different forms of HTML5 or other similar technology to adjust the size of the ad to fit different screens.
• Swap. In this approach, a number of ad types are assembled with the server to select the appropriate version depending on the opportunity.

Responsive design ads are not inserting completely different ad creatives into a single tag. Taking the approach of creating multiple ads and then inserting them into a single tag may seem like a good approach to take to responsive design. The problem with this is it disrupts the media company business models. Having multiple ad creative makes it harder to create an insertion order and disrupts existing size-based models.

Besides size, seek other ways to meet the user’s needs. Reformatting the ads to change size and look great on each separate device is important, but don’t forget to take into consideration the way users interact with each device. For example, if a responsive ad asks for a user’s phone number, clicking on that ad with an iPhone should bring up the numeric keyboard rather than the standard keyboard.

Redesign your creative approval process, not just the ad. With traditional ads, the approval process has remained the same and fairly straightforward. With the quickly changing landscape of responsive creative design, it might be necessary for a manager to sign off on a campaign without seeing every possible scenario. Bogging down such a fluid world as responsive design with approval on each scenario will throw a wrench in what needs to be a fast process if you want to stay competitive.