All creative must meet the requirements of the MSA Creative Acceptance Policy

Required elements:

• One (1) Static Back-up Image :  .gif or .jpeg format, 300x250, max file size of 20Kb
• One (1) Preload Image:  .gif or .jpeg format, 300x250, max file size 4Kb
• One (1) Flash project (.fla) for 300x250 banner.
• One (1) Flash rendered file (.swf) for 300x250 banner
• All external media (video, sound, images, xml, etc) that the ad unit requires to load into it
• All external Actionscript class files and external libraries used by the ad unit
• If any custom fonts are used in the execution:
  • For MAC fonts use the program “Stuffit” to compress the fonts
  • For PC fonts use .zip files
• List of clickthrough URLs required
• Visual guide showing mapped click-through areas with corresponding URLs
• Third Party Tracking tags (if required) including visual representation detailing each calls graphical location

Creative Specifications:

 

• 300x250 Banner
  • Must be published as Flash 9 or higher
  • Actionscript 2 or 3 accepted
  • Flash frame rate cannot exceed 24 fps
  • Initial file weight of 40Kb. Upon user interaction additional content may be loaded into the unit.
  • Ad click through opens into new browser
  • Advertisement audio must be paused on panel click through for landing pages containing non-UI audio
  • A small loading animation (pie loader) is required for all user-initiated loads of external content, including additional Flash files, sounds, etc.
  • Animation limited to 15 seconds. Can loop if within 15 second limit.
  • Cannot have constantly animating elements. Non-looping animation on rollover is permitted.
  • Light colored creative must feature a 1 pixel border (gray [#666666] or black recommended, though any color that clearly distinguishes the ad from the content may be used)
  • Audio Permitted:  Yes, available on user click only, audio is off by default

 

• 300x250 Preload Image
  • .gif or .jpeg format, 300x250, max file size 4Kb
  • Light colored creative must feature a 1 pixel border (gray [#666666] or black recommended, though any color that clearly distinguishes the ad from the content may be used)
  • Will be fully clickable to advertiser landing page until Ad appears

 

• 300x250 Static Back-up Image
  • .gif or .jpeg format, 300x250, max file size 20Kb
  • Light colored creative must feature a 1 pixel border (gray [#666666] or black recommended, though any color that clearly distinguishes the ad from the content may be used)
  • Will be fully clickable to advertiser landing page

 Audio:

• Audio on/off toggle button must be present at all times when sound is available.
• All audio bitrates (including audio in videos) must be 80Kbps
• Advertisement audio must be paused on panel click through for landing pages containing non-UI audio

CPU Usage:

• Idle CPU usage typically falls within 8-12%. When testing a Flash file for this ad, CPU usage after the initial loading of the file must be between 20% and 30%. An initial spike of up to 60% is acceptable in the first five seconds. (Idle CPU usage devised upon computer with a 1.8GHz Intel Pentium Processor and 512 MB of RAM running standard programs.)

Browser Support:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 to 9.0 are supported.
• Firefox is a supported browser on a case-by-case basis (dependent upon test results and execution design).
• Limited support may be provided for Safari and Chrome based on test results.
• In cases in which a browser is not supported (i.e. Firefox or Mac browsers), users will receive the static back-up image.

Static Back-up Image Impression Serve Rate:

• Expected Static Back-up Image impression serve rate varies from 8-12% without bandwidth filtering.
• With bandwidth filtering of 500Kbps, Static Back-up Image impression serve rate can reach up to 30%.

Ad Launch Time:

Ad starts no earlier than midnight (12AM), Eastern Standard Time.  Specific times can be discussed.

 

From time to time there will be text links featured outside and beneath the landing position for the over the page ad experience. These text links are used to provide information about the ad type featured as well as gather feedback from our users on their advertising experience on MSN. These labels will be featured sporadically and all data collected will be for internal purposes only.

 

Ad Specifications

MSN.com is the front door to our diverse network.  As such, we want to display innovative creative within our home page display ad placement that can appeal to the broader audience. Below are specific guidelines which need to be applied to all creative featured on the MSN.com homepage.  These guidelines were developed to help support the MSN brand and overall look and feel of the home page.

 

MSN reserves the right to prohibit any advertisement from being featured on the home page.

Ads should contain

• A clear message and offer/promotion
• Clutter-free design
• Relevant imagery to the offer or promotion
• Consistent branding (Use of similar/same logos & messaging)
• Landing pages should provide relevant content to the ad featured

Not allowed

• Ads that are misleading in anyway (specifically within creative messaging/offers/promotions etc…)
• Inappropriate graphics: included but not limited to graphic images which generate an adverse emotional response from users (i.e., overly graphic medical conditions/images, images of distressed animals or humans), or overexposure to nudity (i.e., swimsuits, sports bras)
• Rapidly flashing images/multiple flashing images (no more than 2 flashing images at the same time)
• Ads that cover drop downs from the navigation bar and Bing search bar.

For more information, please view MSN's Creative Acceptance Policy.

CREATIVE PROCESSING TIMES/SERVICE LEVEL AGREEMENTS

MSN will provide a project timeline based on the format and unit complexity requested.  The timeline represents a service level agreement that if not met, may put the campaign at risk and require a reduction of scope. Additional or custom features may have an additional cost associated with them.  Please contact your Microsoft representatives for more information.

Any element not meeting spec or submission requirements will be returned for revision, which may delay the expected live date or require a change of scope.  If you have any questions regarding creative submissions, please e-mail your Microsoft sales or PMG representative. 

MSN Homepage Ads are not 3^rd party served.  They are served solely via MSN’s Rich Media Servers. 

• One overall third-party impression tag can be implemented, and would track both the flash and down-level experiences.

• Currently we do not support implementation of a separate third-party tracking tag for down-level impressions. MSN is able to capture this data and provide the number of down-level impressions.

• Third-party click tags can be implemented for the flash and backup experiences.

• Overall Impressions

• Down-level image impressions

• Clicks from 300x250

• Clicks from down-level image

• Number of expands

• Average time spent within expanded panel.

If video is used:

• Number of Video Plays

• Average Video Play time
• Video Control clicks (Play, Stop, Pause, Mute, Full Screen, Replay)

 

Additional Metrics:

• Custom Brand Interaction Metrics (based on execution layout) are available on a case-by-case basis.

 

 

Microsoft permits advertisers to collect user-provided personal information (for example, through web forms embedded in ads). Advertiser must provide storage for all personal information as well as the collection method.

• Advertisers may be required to modify ad units or provided additional disclosure in order to be acceptable for advertising on Microsoft sites.
• Advertisers wishing to collect personal information within advertisements (according to specifications above) must follow these guidelines:
  • Clearly identify organization  
  • Provide link to privacy policy (usually adjacent to the web form’s “submit” button)
  • Identify purpose for collecting information
• Advertisers are responsible for setting up an maintaining the necessary protocols to all data collection from the Microsoft ad network

All creative must meet the MSA Ad Submission Guidelines