Technical Specifications
Technical Specifications
Please bear in mind our technical specifications as these will ensure that your advertising media are integrated seamlessly. In the event that an advertising medium does not comply with our technical specifications, we will have to return it to you and ask you to revise it.
HTML-advertising media
- To ensure that no images get lost, please deliver all images and HTML fragments in a ZIP file.
- Fragments shall be structured as a table and shall be embedded in a TABLE tag. No other tags shall be used apart from the opening and closing TABLE tag.
- The table width (WIDTH) and the table height (HEIGHT) shall be adjusted to the size of the banner.
- The total of heights and widths of the individual table cells and any additional GIF files or Submit buttons may not exceed the dimensions stated above. As the actual size of a Submit button depends on a whole range of factors that cannot be influenced (e.g. operating system, browser, font size, screen resolution, etc.) we would generally recommend using GIF files instead of form-generated submit buttons.
- TABLE tags may not contain any ALIGN attributes. ALIGN attributes may only be used in individual table cells.
- Provided that the banner is to contain an ALT text, images in HTML fragments shall be supplemented with ALT texts. Images in HTML fragments shall be provided with absolute width and height values, e.g. HEIGHT="234" WIDTH="60". The same applies to INPUT TYPE details.
- URLs for links and form values shall be stated in absolute terms and shall include the protocol, e.g. HTTP://WWW.CUSTOMER.COM/CGI/XXX. If CGI scripts are called in an HTML banner, the scripts shall be located on an external server and be able to support METHOD="GET". CGI scripts cannot be installed on our servers.
- HTML advertising media shall be compatible with UFT-8.
Flash advertising media
Please always submit an additional picture in an alternative format (e.g. GIF, JPEG). This additional picture would be supplied to users who do not have a Flash plug-in or have deactivated it.
In the event that your Flash advertising media contain sounds or streaming content, please refer to our technical specifications for sound and streaming.
Please always supply your Flash advertising media with the default setting WMODE=OPAQUE or WMODE=TRANSPARENT. If you do not, we cannot guarantee a flawless delivery of your ad on all designated websites.
Links:
Please refrain from setting up direct URLs in your Flash advertising media as we will not be able to provide you with a click analysis if you do. To ensure that our click analysis runs smoothly, please bear in mind the following requirements:
- In the development environment, the linked button(s) should always be located on the top layer of the Flash timeline or, alternatively, the linked button(s) shall be able to access the top layer via "_root".
- InteractiveMedia will forward your clicktag and clicktarget data via Flashvars. When using Actionscript 2, these variables will be immediately available in Flash. When using Actionscript 3, these variables will be included in the "LoaderInfo" object and will be read out via attributes.
Integration of Flashvars by InteractiveMedia - example:
<param name=“movie“ value=“fullbanner.swf?clicktag=[clickcount]http://www.targeturl.de&clicktarget=_blank“>
In the event that your Flash contains a form value that forwards data to the target link, please enter the data after the clicktag and employ the "Get" method. - Please assign a script to your link button (entity name e.g. = "button") that will call the clicktag URL which has been supplied by us:
When using Actionscript 2:
on (release) {
e.g. by clicking on the button itself:
getURL(_root.clicktag,_root.clicktarget);
}
or, alternatively, when included in the timeline:
button.onRelease=function(){
getURL(_root.clicktag,_root.clicktarget);
}
When using Actionscript 3:Please assign a listener function to the button. The listener function will check if the button has been clicked on and will subsequently activate a function that will call the clicktag.
Example:
button.addEventListener(MouseEvent.CLICK, clickhandler);There are several different methods of calling the clicktag URL from the "clickhandler" function. Available options include the "navigateToURL" method or, alternatively, a direct interaction with JavaScript using the ExternalInterface class.
Example:
function clickhandler(e:MouseEvent):void {var req:URLRequest = new
URLRequest (LoaderInfo (this.root.loaderInfo).parameters.clicktag);
var window:String = LoaderInfo(this.root.loaderInfo).parameters.clicktarget;
navigateToURL(req, window) ;}
When supplying segmented advertising media that communicate with each other via Local Connection (e.g. in order to dub animated graphics), please ensure that the connection between the individual swf files is clearly indicated as this will prevent advertising media from interfering with each other.
Specifications for all types of streaming advertising media:
Streaming advertising media shall be supplied at least 7 working days prior to placing them as they will have to be given content and technical clearance.- The stream shall be located either on a third party's server (e.g. agency, stream hoster, etc.), or on your own server. The calling files for the stream (Layer Ad etc.) will be stored on servers run by InteractiveMedia.
- The file that calls the stream shall comply with our file weight specifications. (In the event that the stream is displayed within a Layer Ad, the layer shall not exceed 30KB.)
- If the stream is subsequently reloaded by the advertising medium, please ensure that the loading process of your advertising medium only starts after the pages are fully loaded ("Polite Download"). Usually it suffices to delay the reloading process by 5 to 10 minutes.
- The stream should be able to differentiate between modem/ISDN users and broadband users:
- The modem/ISDN optimized stream shall not exceed 100KB.
- The stream for broadband users is not subject to size limitation. We ask however to keep the file size within a reasonable frame, i.e. the bitrate should average 850 kBit/s to 1500kBit/s.
Alternatively, you may supply your advertising medium in two different formats, i.e. one for narrowband and one for broadband. - The advertising medium shall provide the option to be closed/stopped at any time and thus terminate downloading of the stream.
Here we would recommend using a small bar with a start, pause, and stop button. When integrating advertising media into a Layer Ad, please bear in mind that the stream will stop as soon as the layer is hidden or closed.
There are certain browsers that continue to play the Flash file (sound) and remain loading the stream although the advertising medium has been hidden. For further information on the issue of the "Close" function, please refer to our specifications on Layer Ads. - Should you wish to supply a stream using other technologies than Flash, please discuss your request with our IT department well in advance of placement of the ad. Should you intend to use an additional plug-in for your stream, please make sure to provide us with a JavaScript function in order to check if the plug-in is facilitated on the user's computer.
Specifications for advertising media containing sound / streaming sound:
Should you wish to integrate sound effects/music into your advertising media, please bear in mind that these will be treated differently depending on advertising vehicles.
Whenever this should occur, please contact our sales team.
- In principle, sound effects in advertising media may start in a deactivated mode only. A sound may only be activated by a clear activity on the part of the user (i.e. click or Mouse Over).
- Sounds may only be played once, replaying the sound (looping) is not allowed.
- The advertising medium has to contain a clearly visible option to deactivate the sound, e.g. by providing a "Sound on/off" button or a loudspeaker icon.
- InteractiveMedia reserves the right to deny acceptance of advertising media that contain "aggressive sounds" or an unreasonable sound level.
- If the stream is subsequently reloaded by the advertising medium, please ensure that the loading process of your advertising medium only starts after the pages are fully loaded ("Polite Download"). Usually it suffices to delay the reloading process by 5 to 10 minutes.
CPU usage:
When designing elaborate Flash banners, high CPU usage values can become an issue, especially when there are effects involved that are produced by Flash and/or vectors with Motion Tweens or Shape Tweens.InteractiveMedia reserves the right to deny acceptance of advertising media with exceptionally high CPU usage values. On a standard computer (Intel Pentium IV, 1.8 GHz, MSIE 6 or FF 2 with Flash Plug-in 8), an advertising medium may not increase the CPU load by more than 20%.
Special advertising formats
In principle, any special advertising formats that are supplied as a redirect may not be positioned absolutely. If they are, we cannot guarantee that your advertising medium will be properly positioned on pages that are centered or pages that adjust their width dynamically.
Therefore, InteractiveMedia reserves the right to deny acceptance of advertising media redirects that do not comply with the requirements in terms of structure and position themselves independently.
Layer Ads (details)
Please allow a gap of at least 3 working days as the advertising medium will have to be given content and technical clearance.
The advertising medium shall feature a Close button that is immediately visible to the user. The button may be located either on the top left or on the top right of the advertising medium and shall contain the word "Close" in a way that is easily read (i.e. refrain from using grey font on a black background etc.).
Please assign the following script to the Close button in Flash:
on(release)
{
fscommand("close");
stop();
}
Alternatively, you may use the command "adlayerhider" instead of "Close", in the event that the advertising medium is being used by several marketers.
Wallpaper Ads (details)
- You should always supply the advertising medium in individual components.
- Should you wish the animation of both files to correspond, please make use of the Local Connection method available on Flash.
Please refer to the section on Local Connection for Wallpaper Ads and Tandem Ads. For further information on usage and options related to this method, please refer to the producer's website http://www.adobe.com/devnet/flash/.
Please note that the advertising medium may not be suitable for all browsers, depending on the method of usage.
Please refrain from using Flash containers for loading the actual advertising medium from a third-party server and launching your Flash files simultaneously. With some advertising vehicles this may lead to problems caused by the security settings of the Flash plug-in and the delivery mode of the advertising medium. - Please refrain from supplying redirects for the Hockey Stick; send us the actual Flash files instead. We will be happy to integrate any counting pixels and click commands you may wish to include.
- Please be sure to also supply us with the decimal color code (e.g. #676767).
Local Connection for Wallpaper Ads and Tandem Ads
If you have segmented advertising media containing animations that are supposed to be synchronised, Flash/Actionscript's "Local Connection" may be a feasible option.
If you have placed a Wallpaper Ad or a Tandem Ad on a website and when your ad makes use of this technology while the website has been opened in several browser windows (or opened with different browsers), individual components of your ad may interfere with each other. This may result in a flawed display of you advertising medium.
To prevent this scenario, we would recommend the following strategy: you can assign a name to your Local Connection within the framework of Flash. This name shall be unique, either by assigning an unambiguous name to the advertising medium as such, or by attaching a random number to the name of the respective Local Connection. This random number may be generated within the advertising medium. Alternatively, you may integrate the random number into our Ad Server when retrieving the advertising medium.
The call integrated into the object tag or embed tag respectively may be displayed like the following:
http://www.server.de/flash.swf?clicktag=http://www.customer.com&localConnName=[randomnumber]
- while [randomnumber] will be replaced dynamically by the Ad Server as the advertising medium is being delivered. In the Actionscript of a Flash file, this random number will be attached to the name of the Local Connection, e.g.
sender = new LocalConnection();
sender.send('channel1'+_root.localConnName, 'starter');
or, respectively,
receiver.connect('channel1'+_root.localConnName);
Using this strategy will ensure that the channel providing communication among both images is unique and the interaction runs smoothly whenever the website is called - regardless of the number of browser windows displaying your Wallpaper Ad.
Specifications for Video Ads (PreRoll Ads / PostRoll Ads)
Specified for the following websites:
t-online.de, 3min.de, Videoload free, RTL2.de
Audit Report:
Tracking of video calls can be conducted either via the Click Commands to be supplied by you or by our own Ad Server.
In order to perform a complete tracking procedure, we require three click commands. These will be called by the system at the beginning of the video, after 50 percent of the video has elapsed and at the end of the video.
Links from the video:
Please supply us with a ClickThrough URL.
Reporting of calls and clicks will be provided by InteractiveMedia.
Formats:
The duration of the PreRoll Ad may not exceed 30 seconds.
- Pixel format: 400 x 300 pixels
- File format: avi, mpg, mov, wmv, flv
- vBitrate: 850 kbit/s
- AudioCodec: MP3, Stereo, 90kbit/s, 44.1 kHz.
- VideoCodec: VP6
For narrowband (modem/ISDN) the following additional limitations apply:
- vBitrate: 20kBit/s
- AudioCodec: MP3, Stereo, 56kbit/s, 44.1 kHz.
When supplying the video as a FLV, the file to be delivered shall be in Flash Version 8. All FLV files have to contain the meta information "length/duration" of the video.
Delivery:
All files should be e-mailed as ZIP files to ads@interactivemedia.net
When supplying your files, please be sure to allow three working days for your files to be processed. If there is a delay in the delivery of advertising media, the start of the campaign will be postponed accordingly.
Expandable advertising formats (details)
Please note that certain advertising vehicles do not allow for an automatic opening of expandable advertising formats. For further information on this, please feel free to get in touch with your contact person from our sales team.
- Please supply the advertising format in a Flash file.
Alternatively, you may also supply the ad in two separate Flash files, where file 1 will consist of the regular version of the advertising vehicle and file 2 will consist of the expanded version of the advertising vehicle.
When supplying two files and using Mouse Over, please ensure that both files contain the script segments as described in point 2. - Expandable advertising media can be implemented using three different methods:
- To open the Expandable, the user has to click on the advertising medium.
Here, the Expandable will be displayed until the user closes it by clicking on the Close button. When the Close button is clicked on, the fscommand ("collapse") will have to be performed (see 4.3.3 below).
When programming the Flash file, please bear in mind that an additional click on the advertising medium will lead the user to a linked site. - To open the Expandable, the user has to move the cursor over the advertising medium.
In this version, the Expandable closes as soon as the cursor leaves the area that has not been originally expanded (Mouse Out). - Once the page is fully loaded, the advertising medium expands for the duration of 4 seconds and then closes automatically.
Please keep in mind that the Flash call to close the ad has to appear after 4 seconds and the fscommand ("collapse") (see 4.3.3 below) has to be called. In the event that the call is not carried out by Flash, we cannot guarantee a flawless functioning of the advertising format.
Here, the user may be given the option to reopen the ad via a Mouse Over after the initial opening and closing of the ad.
- To open the Expandable, the user has to click on the advertising medium.
- insert the following script segments into the Flash file of the expandable ad.
The Expandable opens upon clicking:
To be inserted into the Click button
on(release)
{
fscommand("expand");
}
Close button for expandable ads that open upon clicking:
To be inserted into the Close button:
on(release)
{
fscommand("collapse");
}
Expandable opens upon interaction with mouse:
on(rollOver)
{
fscommand("expand");
}
on(rollOut)
{
fscommand("collapse");
}
Contact
- Mainoffice Darmstadt
- Tel: +49 (0)6151 / 50 02 100
- Fax: +49 (0)6151 / 50 02 101
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