Online ad firm ValueClick has launched a banner ad that enables marketers to adjust ad creative dynamically — even after the ad has been launched — based on demographic data.

The objective behind ActiveAds is to enable marketers to address multiple targets without necessarily deploying multiple creative units. The creative adjusts automatically to reflect the most appropriate text and images, based on anonymous intelligence provided by either a client or ValueClick Media, a separate performance ad unit.

According to ValueClick, ActiveAds uses XML to support an "infinite" number of attributes that advertisers provide to the company. In addition to accounting for user data, banners can also be geo-or contextually targeted, based on the type of content on the site the user visits.

Clients trying the service include tax prep service TaxBrain.

For the fourth quarter, ValueClick posted a 16-cent-per-share profit on revenue of $150.1 million, beating analyst expectations, MediaPost reports. Compared to the same time last year, its media arm fell 19%, to $74 million.

The company hedged its bets for 2009, calling for a slowdown in revenue growth to the tune of 25% — $126 million from $132 million. Late last year it decided to sell two business units, e-Babylon and Mediaplex, shortly after announcing plans to experiment with predictive ad technology.