AdMaxim Creative Guidelines

AdMaxim Creative Guidelines have been developed and updated to incorporate IAB New Standard Ad Unit Portfolio Recommendations. The main focus of this document is to provide detailed Ad quality guidelines in order to ensure optimal consumer experience with Ad Types supported by the AdMaxim Platform. AdMaxim has strict policies in place to ensure that all Ads Created using AdMaxim Creative Suite or submitted by Clients for campaigns adhere to the LEAN principles*. Ad design and implementation must ensure that ads are privacy friendly, non-disruptive, load quickly without impact on publisher content loading and extensible. AdMaxim supports the Coalition for Better Ads Initial Ad Standards (https://www.betterads.org/standards/) and all Ad Units comply with the recommended guidelines.

Creating Designs That Work

Ad Types and animations that distract the user in order to gain attention via repetitive, flashing or blinking images/text are prohibited. Any type of content or functionality that has the potential to significantly distract users from editorial content is not acceptable. Recommended design guidance for Ad units is summarised below:

Start Off With the Right Interaction

Avoid starting with a tap because users may think it will open a new page. The highest first interaction rates begin with a swipe.

Easy to Read Text

When using text with background imagery, if there are a lot of colors or elements, use subtle glows or shadowing around the text with a similar color as the background and the text will be more prominent.

Intrigue Your User Into Wanting More

If you are showing products, offer only a few variations. Give the user a small sample of the best of what you are offering but save the in-depth details and products lists for your website.

Extra Buttons Detract From Your Goals

Avoid overloading the user with options especially if the target goal is to get them to a particular URL. Don’t add additional click outs for social media if it’s not your main goal.

Label All Active Areas

If a certain area of an ad opens a page to new URL, that area should be appropriately labeled. It is easy to trick a user into opening new URLs which would count as a view on that page but we think that compromises the integrity of your brand and it won’t provide the type of result or brand awareness you’re likely interested in.

Keep Titles and Actions at the Top of the Page

The combination of mobile device sizes, browser chrome dimensions, and zoom levels may very well be infinite but, they all start at the top. To ensure that your most important messaging and calls-to-action get action make sure everyone sees them at the top of your page.

One Design to Rule Them All

It is possible to create one design that will work well across the majority of mobile devices and publishers. The key to designing for multiple screens is to pay attention to the constituent elements of the Ad as well as the aspect ratio and responsive elements. Design should be flexible and start with the highest resolution required for the unit and adjust to the screen size seamlessly respecting the aspect ratio.

The most requested and viewed size is for portrait orientation. While 320 x 480 px is the most requested size, since phones handle much higher resolution, the most appropriate dimensions to design for that size is 768 x 1152 px. If you have followed the earlier suggestions and kept titles/actions on near the top of the design, we can use that same design for the second most requested size 768 x 1024 px. Having only one design also offers the shortest development and quality assurance times as well as the easiest opportunity to make additional updates later down the line.

Mobile Ad Types To Avoid

Pop-ups

We encourage an ad to be part of the content. When it is necessary to use a pop-up we avoid forcing the user to sit through a countdown timer before being able to close

Prestitial Ads with Countdown

Prestitials appear before the site content is shown sometimes preventing the user from seeing content until the ad is interacted with and may deter users from getting to the content at all.

Ad Density Over 30% of the Page Size

When an ad is larger than 30% of the page size users will often find the ad intrusive or distracting in comparison the general content of the page.

Flashing Animated Ads

An ad that changes backgrounds quickly or flash are considered aggravating for consumers and distract from page content.

Auto-playing Video Ads with Sound

Videos that auto-play with sound are disruptive and compel users to close them quickly or close the page entirely.

Postitial Ads with Countdown

Potentials display an ad after a user follows a link to see more content. They generally break the flow of information gathering by the user and should be able to be closed without forcing a countdown.

Full-screen Scrollover Ads

These ad types are full-page ads that scroll. They should be avoided because they obscure content and can be disorientating to consumers.

Large Sticky Ads

Ads which again take up more than 30% of the user’s device screen and stay stuck to the top or bottom of the screen. These lead to a negative user experience since they disrupt the page’s main content.

Ad Specifications

Standard AdMaxim Creative Specifications have been superseded by the Ad Specification in the IAB New Standard Ad Unit Portfolio Recommendations. Please refer to the specification section for relevant information.

Creative Request Guidelines