As you read this, you will probably be reminded of that awful online reality: Whatever technology you have been using to garner all those online eyeballs will soon be obsolete.

That's the truth of online work, for good or bad. No matter how current you are, tomorrow is a new day and someone clever is going to create something remarkable that changes the game.

The current state of online advertising is in flux, with so many different technologies that don't necessarily work well together competing for brand dollars and the browsing public. But people are coming up with bright ideas all over the place, and brands are eager to jump aboard everything cool, current and from the future.

The following companies are each making a bid to change a particular segment of the online advertising world. None of them have truly broken into the mainstream yet, but each of them could very well in the near future.