The Microsoft Media Network’s Creative Acceptance Policy (CAP) is designed to optimize your message by ensuring consistently high standards of display advertising across all Microsoft media properties, including MSN and Windows Live. Providing extensive reach, targeting, and desirable audience demographics, MSN and Windows Live already deliver what you need to increase your online market share. The guidelines will help you maximize your creative, so your brand is positioned to its fullest potential.
The CAP brings added value to your display advertising:
- You will have an even more trusted and engaging environment for your advertising message
- Your creative will reach more receptive and satisfied users, increasing your campaign's success
- You will find it quicker and easier to plan your advertising, guided by a clear and consistent policy
The Creative Acceptance Policy Guide shows the Policy Excerpts on the left hand side, and on the right hand side a compliant and non-compliant ad with an explanation about each one, where relevant.
Users’ opinions and responsiveness are influenced by various content and design elements that comprise the creative. The CAP guidelines suggest optimal ways to improve your creative, so you can position your ad for positive interactivity.
- Landing pages: accessibility and relevance
- Ad creative: messaging (offers) and types of graphics/imagery
- Ad functionality: user control and navigation
A recent MSN user survey showed that consumers are associating their likes and dislikes of an ad with their overall opinion of the advertiser. The message is clear: optimizing your creative leads to positive brand association— and that leads to positive business results.
The CAP guidelines provide a clear and consistent messaging framework that will help generate a successful ad, as well as enrich the user’s experience. The guidelines fall under two categories: compliant ads and non-compliant ads.
| Compliant Ads |
Non-compliant Ads |
| Images and text accurately represent the product or service - engaging users with a positive experience |
Images and text don't represent the product or service - misleading users and creating mistrust of advertising |
|
Cross media campaigns deliver consistent imagery and messaging - providing predictability and familiarity |
Multiple creative used for cross media campaigns is not recommended - may affect levels of brand association |
| Offers and sweepstakes clearly identify the appropriate actions necessary - setting realistic user expectations |
Falsified offers and sweepstakes - create a negative user experience that may be transferred to brand identity |
The CAP affects display advertising across the Microsoft Media properties, including MSN and Windows Live. The products required to meet the guidelines and suggestions include:
- Industry and MSN standard ad units (MSN served and Third Party Served)
- Text and contextual ad units
- Sponsorships
- MSN Shopping
- Custom ad products and solutions
- Rich Media (MSN and Third Party Served Rich Media)
View the Creative Acceptance Policy Guide:
