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Monopoly City Streets by Tribal DDB
Tribal DDB created the biggest online game of Monopoly ever, using Google Maps to take the game into the real world. More on Tribal DDB's award winning campaign.Guide to formats and standards
Written by Jack Wallington, Programmes Manager, IAB
The IAB produces standards for internet advertising to help you choose ads that will work across all websites and to offer a set of formats that are optimised to make the most of the medium.
There are four dimensions of advert that are used by publishers around the world known as the IAB Universal Advertising Package (UAP):
Other dimensions are available depending on the publisher, for the full list of standard display ad dimensions visit our 'Standards and guidelines' area. iabuk.net/standardsandguidelines.
Adding video to display ads is now incredibly easy, no matter which dimension you choose. Video increases the impact of an ad and can be included without affecting the file size by being streamed in after the ad has loaded on the page. The rectangle MPU is best suited to video because it matches closely to the dimensions of a video player. However, expandable ads allow you to stretch the area to accommodate large, high quality video in any format.
Expandable ads are Flash files using standard dimensions but allowing the ad to stretch over the content of a page when a user interacts. These aren’t intrusive because the user has to click or place their cursor over the ad for the expansion to happen.
The same standards as normal display adverts apply to expandables but you obviously have additional space, once expanded, to offer interactive forms and more text, picture or video content.
Publishers have different specs for expanded dimensions, but a number of basic guidelines apply:
Overlays are adverts that appear over the content of a page and a user must click a close button on the advert to remove it. These adverts must use the same rules as standard adverts but the dimensions and positioning are decided by the publisher.
Sponsorships are arranged directly with publishers allowing you to customise the design of certain pages (e.g. site homepage or a section). Types of sponsorship can vary from simply including your logo through to adding your brand to the entire site design for a set period of time. Sponsorships are incredibly high-impact.
Like websites, online ads should be made to be accessible. Simple considerations are:
New formats appear regularly as advertisers and publishers work to find the most effective ads. Already we are seeing ‘supersize banners’ that are much larger than standard banners and expandables that fill the entire screen when opened. Thanks to faster broadband the size of the files will gradually increase too.
Effectiveness
For more information on the effectiveness of each ad format and to decide what is right for you, see chapter 6.
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The IAB produces standards for internet advertising to help you choose ads that will work across all websites and to offer a set of formats that are optimised to make the most of the medium.
IAB display standards
There are four dimensions of advert that are used by publishers around the world known as the IAB Universal Advertising Package (UAP):
- File type: .gif or Flash files
- Max file size: 30KB
- Max animation: 15 seconds
- Sound: off by default and user initiated
Other dimensions are available depending on the publisher, for the full list of standard display ad dimensions visit our 'Standards and guidelines' area. iabuk.net/standardsandguidelines.
Video
Adding video to display ads is now incredibly easy, no matter which dimension you choose. Video increases the impact of an ad and can be included without affecting the file size by being streamed in after the ad has loaded on the page. The rectangle MPU is best suited to video because it matches closely to the dimensions of a video player. However, expandable ads allow you to stretch the area to accommodate large, high quality video in any format.
Expandables
Expandable ads are Flash files using standard dimensions but allowing the ad to stretch over the content of a page when a user interacts. These aren’t intrusive because the user has to click or place their cursor over the ad for the expansion to happen.
The same standards as normal display adverts apply to expandables but you obviously have additional space, once expanded, to offer interactive forms and more text, picture or video content.
Publishers have different specs for expanded dimensions, but a number of basic guidelines apply:
- Expand: ads must only expand when a user interacts on click or mouseover (when the cursor is placed over the advert).
- Close: ads must close immediately after a user has moved their mouse away.
- Into the page: the advert must expand into the content of the page. For example, a skyscraper on the right of a page should expand to the left and a horizontal banner at the top of the page should expand downwards.
- Sound: off by default and user initiated (either on click or mouseover). The sound must stop immediately when an advert closes.
Overlays
Overlays are adverts that appear over the content of a page and a user must click a close button on the advert to remove it. These adverts must use the same rules as standard adverts but the dimensions and positioning are decided by the publisher.
Sponsorship
Sponsorships are arranged directly with publishers allowing you to customise the design of certain pages (e.g. site homepage or a section). Types of sponsorship can vary from simply including your logo through to adding your brand to the entire site design for a set period of time. Sponsorships are incredibly high-impact.
Accessible adverts
Like websites, online ads should be made to be accessible. Simple considerations are:
- Include ALT text.
- Make sure text is large and very clear against coloured backgrounds.
- Include a written alternative to audio.
New formats
New formats appear regularly as advertisers and publishers work to find the most effective ads. Already we are seeing ‘supersize banners’ that are much larger than standard banners and expandables that fill the entire screen when opened. Thanks to faster broadband the size of the files will gradually increase too.
Effectiveness
For more information on the effectiveness of each ad format and to decide what is right for you, see chapter 6.
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