Abstract: The breaking news ad format is an innovative ad unit that helps publishers monetize their best-selling content pack in a manner never done before. In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, the ad/content format houses the following subsets of information: Breaking News Headline (Article title, optionally—a snippet and a thumbnail), Publisher Branding (Logo, additional branding message), and Auto-playing Advertiser Video (a VAST (Digital Video Ad Serving Template) compliant video ad). The ad unit can effectively be invoked using a smart trigger action engine which ensures that the user is always viewing and/or actively using the device in plain sight. The trigger action also ensures that the format is not intrusive and that it does not directly affect the usability of the device and/or intended action by the user. The context here for the publisher is that an engaging ad format can be invoked using one or more trigger points.