The Interactive Advertising Bureau today issued voluntary guidelines for rich media advertising formats, which cover standard 468x60 banners, Interactive Marketing Unit (IMU) Rectangles, IMU
Skyscrapers, two different size pop-up ad units - the 250x250 IMU and a larger size, of up to 550x550 - and interstitials or transitional ads.
“Part and parcel of all IAB initiatives, these
voluntary Rich Media Guidelines are meant to assist publishers, advertisers and their agencies in creating meaningful and effective interactive advertising,” said Robin Webster, President & CEO of the
IAB.
“Recently released research findings from the IAB, CNET Networks, Inc., DoubleClick and MSN, reinforce earlier research from Ipsos-ASI that both size and interactivity are important. Previous
IAB voluntary guidelines have focused on size. These new rich media guidelines encourage adoption of interactivity within the ad units.”
The guidelines are:
Rich Media Banners:
Definition & Dimensions:
Standard banners (468x60 pixels) which use rich media technologies such as HTML, Flash and Java.
Rich Media File Size:
Up to 15k initial load. Up to
an additional 85k may be loaded after a user moves their cursor over or clicks on the banner.
Rollover Expands:
A banner may expand to as large as 468x240 after a user moves their cursor
over it, and should automatically close when the cursor moves off the banner.
Click Expands:
A banner may expand to as large as 468x240 after a user clicks on it, and can stay expanded
until the user clicks a clearly labeled "close" button.
Audio/Video:
A banner may play audio and/or video content after a user clicks on it, and should display a visible "stop" or "pause"
button once the audio/video begins.
Rich Media IMU Rectangles:
Definition & Dimensions:
Interactive Marketing Units (336x280, 300x250, 180x150 or 240x400 pixels), which
use rich media technologies such as HTML, Flash and Java.
Rich Media File Size:
Up to 25k initial load. Up to 3 additional loads of up to 50k each may be initiated after a user moves
their cursor over or clicks on the rectangle.
Non-rich File Size:
As previously stated in the February 2001 IAB IMU Guidelines, non-rich rectangles should be 20k maximum file size.
Audio/Video:
A rectangle may play audio and/or video content after a user clicks on it, and should display a visible "stop" or "pause" button once the audio/video begins.
Rich Media IMU Skyscrapers:
Definition & Dimensions:
Interactive Marketing Units (120x600 or 160x600 pixels), which use rich media technologies such as HTML, Flash and Java.
Rich Media File Size:
Up to 20k initial load. Up to 3 additional loads of up to 50k each may be initiated after a user moves their cursor over or clicks on the skyscraper.
Non-rich
File Size:
As previously stated in the February 2001 IAB IMU Guidelines, non-rich skyscrapers should be 15k maximum file size.
Audio/Video:
A skyscraper may play audio and/or
video content after a user clicks on it, and should display a visible "stop" or "pause" button once the audio/video begins.
Pop-up #1
Definition:
Pop-ups automatically
launch in a new browser window when a Web page is loaded.
Dimensions:
As previously stated in the February 2001 IAB IMU Guidelines, these pop-ups should be 250 x 250 pixels.
Rich
Media File Size:
As previously stated in the February 2001 IAB IMU Guidelines, these pop-ups should be 20k maximum file size.
Pop-up #2
Definition:
Pop-ups
automatically launch in a new browser window when a Web page is loaded.
Dimensions:
Up to 550x550 pixels maximum.
Rich Media File Size:
100k maximum file size.
Transitional Ads:
Definition:
Transitional Ads (also called "interstitials") appear in the main browser window between two Web pages.
Dimensions:
336x280
pixels.
Rich Media File Size:
20k maximum file size.
Play Time:
Publishers may set their transitional ad pages to automatically forward a user after 7 seconds.
Label:
Publishers may label their transitional ad pages as an ad or sponsorship, and may include a "skip ad" link.
Testing Guidelines:
Stability:
Ads should be tested for
stability in a variety of browser and platform combinations, as described below. Stability is defined as not causing error messages, dialog windows, browser crashes or system crashes.
Browser/Platform Combinations to Test
Websites and networks should individually determine detailed testing matrices relevant to their specific users. These matrices should be publicly
available and updated regularly. Examples are available at www.iab.net/richmedia_testing.
Vendor Matrices
Vendors should publish
detailed matrices indicating the browser and platform combinations in which their technologies are stable.