Windows Live Messenger Today Pre-Expanded

1. User visits the Windows Live Messenger Today Page.
   1. Flash ad appears as a 180x150 banner advertisement and expands on top of the page content in the defined areas as shown in the example below. 
2. After 8 seconds, the expanding ad diminishes into 180x150 banner graphic in the lower right corner of the page.
3. The user has the option to replay the over-the-page experience via a call to action to expand ad.
4. If user does not have Flash installed or cannot view rich media ads, then a default banner (180x150 GIF or JPG) will be served.

Example:                                                            

• 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)

Note on Max Animation length:

• Up to 8 seconds for panel;
• Up to an additional 8 seconds for banner; 16 seconds in total.

The Today pre-expanding creative spec is supported exclusively via our third party support partners.  Specific technical creative, templates, submission, and lead time information must be provided by your chosen rich media vendor or, within certain markets, by your Microsoft account representative.  Below are links to specification information from our partners certified to support this type of creative:

Eyeblaster

Specifications: http://origin.www.eyeblaster.com/today/index.html

Contact alias: today@eyeblaster.com

Lead time: 6 full business days prior to launch date

Pointroll

Specifications

Contact alias: msntodaysupport@PointRoll.com

Asian Markets please also e-mail overnightssupportlist@PointRoll.com

Lead time: 8 full business days prior to launch date 

Note that Microsoft requires two days for testing and trafficking following submission of complete third party tags.  This should be clearly outlined within all partner specs.

This ad presents a powerful opportunity to engage users in an imaginative and compelling way. The creative guidelines below are designed to help you create an ad that users will interact with by achieving the right balance between marketing impact and end-user satisfaction. Millions of unique users visit the Windows Live Messenger Today page each month and, for them, it’s their starting point on the web.

The Today page seeks to inform, entertain and facilitate a useful and satisfying experience for users. To do so, our guiding principle is to respect the user's intelligence and time with every item we program and every change we make to the Windows Live Messenger Today page. Please follow these guidelines in developing creative:

• Respect the user. Focus the creative on being educational and/or entertaining. Users will appreciate clever and engaging creative that conforms to their expectations of their Messenger experience. Never use pulsing or garish colors.
• Keep the ad visually different from the content. Keep the visual style, colors and format of the auto-expand and banner experience distinct from the content. The over-the-page experience should never cover more than 500x400 pixels. The over-the-page experience should not cover the Messenger logo or left-hand navigation column.
• Use animation carefully. Keep animation smooth and fluid, using slow motion and gentle fades. Fast and abrupt motion is highly irritating. Avoid experiences that 'break through' the page or abuse the content.

*** All Windows Live Messenger Today placements are subject to editorial approval ***

• Eyeblaster
• PointRoll

• Ad Impressions
• Panel Impressions
• Interaction Rates
• Action and Activity Rates
• Average Panel Display Times
• Average Page Display Times
• Average Brand Interaction Times
• Panel Clicks
• Banner Clicks

The above represents standard reporting available via our support partners.

Third-party tracking is available.