Time Inc. struck an exclusive deal with digital marketing platform GumGum, the self-proclaimed inventor of in-image advertising, allowing the publisher to provide GumGum's image-overlaying technology to advertisers across its digital portfolio.

As image-rich content plays an increasingly-vital role in online media, publishers continue to seek new ways to bypass obstacles like ad-blocking while still maintaining brand integrity and providing audiences with a quality visual experience.

GumGum's in-image ads are available in five different formats, depending on size considerations, objectives—performance, awareness, or engagement—and the need for animation. The ads, which can be hidden with a click, can either completely obscure the image before settling down in a less conspicuous location, or take the form of a slightly more discrete banner across the bottom.

"We've found a partner that has built powerful technology solutions that will help us unlock the value of these compelling images for our advertisers," said Time Inc. SVP of advertising Andy Blau, in an official statement. "We are very pleased to join forces with GumGum to harness their technology in order to deliver highly viewable premium ad products and services for our partners."

The new partnership is the latest in a series of recent Time Inc. maneuvers aimed at finding new profit streams, as revenues fell six percent in Q3 2015. In October alone, the publisher scrapped former Walmart mainstay All You and acquired digital brands HelloGiggles, xoJane and xoVain.

GumGum claims an 81 percent viewability rate for its editorially-embedded ads and better engagement to other visual ad formats. Founded in 2007, the Santa Monica, CA-based company recently secured $26 million in funding from Morgan Stanley Expansion Capital and is eyeing an initial public offering in 2017, reports The Wall Street Journal.