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πŸš€ ADS specifications

Here you will find the guidelines
and technical specifications
for digital ads on Brics24.

We present all our users with an ad experience that complies with the Better Ads Standards, so our creative guidelines below follow these principles. All creatives to be served on our site must meet the criteria outlined here.

Delivery methods

We accept: .gif, .jpg, 3rd party tags, HTML5. If you plan to deliver HTML5, please notify your account manager at the time of booking or as soon as you decide on this format. Our Digital Ad Production team will need to process it before it is trafficked.

If you provide 3rd party creative tags, the initial load of the creative cannot exceed 200kb. Creatives must be supplied in a secure format; otherwise, they will not be accepted.

Flash: Please note that Flash files (.swf) will not be accepted.

Further notes

Backup creatives: In certain cases when a rich media creative has been delivered, we may require a backup creative to run on app or mobile web. These should conform to the following guidelines:

  • Format: .gif or .jpg
  • File size: 40kb max

In-banner video (with an embedded video player and video controls): If the video is set to autoplay, it must start muted.

  • Max autoplay length is 30 seconds for billboard formats, or 15 seconds for all other formats.
  • There is no max length for click-to-initiate video.
  • VAST XML base format.
  • Additional VPAID elements can be accepted but must be tested before going live.
  • Available for direct campaigns only.

In-banner video on iOS App: Video tags constructed in either HTML or JavaScript must specify the playsinline attribute:

For videos to play without user action, the video tag needs to also specify the muted attribute:

Expandable creatives: We serve ads through an iFrame, so you must provide code to allow the ad to expand.

We fully support expandable creatives from various third parties, subject to testing.

  • Expandable creatives must be click-to-expand (except for 3-2-1 hover to initiate expansion creatives).
  • The close button should be located at the top right.
  • Expandable creatives on the Brics24 homepage may be subject to Ad Governance Group approval.

Ad Choices logo: Brics24, along with many other publishers, complies with the IAB’s Self-Regulatory Framework regarding OBA Advertising. We require all 3rd party hosted adverts to include the AdChoices Ad Marker, following the IAB’s technical guidelines.

White creative: All white and light-coloured creatives must include a dark one-pixel border.

Readability: Text should be at least 20px for black print against a white background. Fine print should be at least 15px. For light print against a dark background, consider larger or boldface type.

Click into a new window: All ads must open in a new browser window when clicked.

Browser compliance: We target all modern browsers unless otherwise instructed. More information on browsers can be found here.

Lead time: For .gifs, .jpgs, or 3rd party tags, creatives must be received at least 3 working days before the campaign start date. If supplying HTML5, they must be received 5 working days before the campaign start date. If our Digital Ad Production (DAP) team is building creatives, assets must be submitted according to the DAP format guide. Delays in creative or asset submission may cause delays in the campaign launch.

Sound: All sound must be user click activated.

Misleading ads: We do not accept ads that are of poor quality, inappropriate, misleading, or confusing to users. If unsure, please contact your Brics24 Account Manager.

CPU: Ads that excessively drive the CPU may be rejected or removed.

Third-party tracking: We accept third-party click tracking for all formats and third-party impression tracking for all formats except interstitials. Please note that if you supply third-party tracking, there may be a discrepancy between our ad server stats and your data. The IAB’s discrepancy tolerance is +/-10%.

Please note: We do not accept any Brand Safety Blocking Tags for page takeovers on the Brics24 site. For CPM Brand Safety Blocking tags, we require the tags and the full list of blocks applied within them 48 hours before the go-live date.

πŸ“‹ Guidelines on Photosensitive Effects
(for individuals with conditions like epilepsy and migraines)

General flashing threshold:
A sequence of flashes or rapidly changing images must meet both of the following conditions to be considered potentially harmful:

  1. The combined area of concurrent flashes (not necessarily adjacent) must occupy more than 25% of any 335 x 268 pixel rectangle on the displayed screen when the content is viewed at a resolution of 1024 x 768 pixels.
  2. There are more than three flashes within a one-second period.

Note: For the general flashing threshold, a flash is defined as two opposing changes in brightness of 10% or more of full-scale white brightness. Brightness is calculated using the following formula:
Brightness = .2126R + .7152G + .0722*B,
where R, G, and B represent linearised red, green, and blue values respectively.
Linearised X = (X/FS)^2.2, where FS is the full scale, usually 255.

An “opposing change” refers to an increase followed by a decrease in brightness, or a decrease followed by an increase.

Red flashing threshold:
A transition to or from a saturated red must meet the following conditions:

  1. The combined area of flashes must occupy more than 25% of any 335 x 268 pixel rectangle when viewed at 1024 x 768 pixels.
  2. There are more than three flashes within a one-second period.

Video Specs for Third-Party Served
(VAST Compliant) Ads on Brics24

Format:

  • H.264 (MP4) video file is required for each video creative. Other formats, such as WebM, may be included but may not be used.

Aspect ratio and bitrate:

  • 720p or lower is required; the optional inclusion of 1080p is recommended.

  • Acceptable aspect ratios are 16:9 or 4:3.

    • Examples for 16:9: 854 x 480, 1280 x 720, 1920 x 1080.
    • Examples for 4:3: 480 x 360, 720 x 540, 960 x 720.
  • Must contain at least one media file under 1000kbps.

Audio format:

  • 720p or lower is required; 1080p is recommended (optional).
  • Acceptable aspect ratios are 16:9 or 4:3 (see examples above).

Frames per second:

  • Up to 30fps.

Maximum file size:

  • 10 MB.

Requirements:

  • Must comply with YouTube’s XML summary for VAST ad server response.
  • Must be SSL-compliant.
  • Only VAST 3.0 tags are allowed for skippable video ads (VAST 2.0 will not be accepted).
  • Must be served via a linear VAST tag (pre-fetch tag) by a YouTube-approved vendor.
  • Must NOT have geo, browser, or any other targeting on the third-party end.
  • VPAID is not allowed.

Brics24 also accepts RAW assets. Supported file formats can be found here.

If supplying pre-roll in the form of a YouTube link:

  • Ensure the video is public or unlisted and allows embedding.

GDPR compliance for campaigns serving users in the EEA:
Only the following ad technologies can be associated with campaigns:

  • Google (including DoubleClick)
  • IAS
  • DoubleVerify
  • MOAT
  • ComScore
  • Nielsen
  • Kantar
  • ResearchNow

For campaigns serving users outside the EEA, other ad technologies are accepted:

  • ComScore
  • DoubleVerify
  • IAS
  • MOAT
  • Nielsen
  • Kantar
  • ResearchNow
  • Sizmek
  • Innovid
  • Flashtalking
  • Extreme Reach
  • C3 Metrics
  • Adform
  • Weborama
  • Adocean

πŸ“‹ Pre-roll formats

Non-skippable video

  • Max ad duration:
    20 seconds EMEA,15 seconds US
non-skip-video

Non-skippable bumper


  • Max ad duration: 6 seconds
non-skip-video

Skippable video

  • Min ad duration: 12 sec
  • Max ad duration: 6 minutes
non-skip-video

πŸ“‹ Apple News Specs for Brics24

iPhone/iPod Touch:

  • Large Banner: 1242 x 699
  • IAB Mobile Banner: 320 x 50
  • IAB MPU: 300 x 250
  • IAB Double MPU: 300 x 600

iPad/Mac:

  • Large Banner: 1536 x 864
  • IAB Leaderboard: 728 x 90
  • IAB Billboard: 970 x 250

Assets should be produced as: JPEG, GIF, or PNG.

Animated banners:

  • Can loop only three times, and the total animation duration cannot exceed 15 seconds.
  • Repetitive, rapid flashing, excessive blinking, or visually stressful animations are not allowed.

Apple News Vendor List:
Apple News Vendor List

For ads utilizing third-party ad tags:

Third-party ad tag technical specs:
Third-Party Ad Tag Technical Specs

Format Notes

Page Skin:

  • No click-to-remove functionality.
  • No animation of skins is allowed.
  • Must be supplied as a .gif or .jpg, 1600 x 1200 creative (leave the middle 980 pixels blank).
  • Skins will only display on desktop screens larger than 1300 pixels wide.
  • Any white-on-white creative must include a 1px black border (as per normal guidelines).
  • Only available as part of a takeover.
  • Keep all messaging inside the dark grey area in the provided diagram to ensure viewability on all screen sizes.

If your skin is showing with a 900 x 250 or 970 x 250, please build the skin according to the diagram [here].

If your skin is showing with a 728 x 90, please build the skin according to the diagram [here].

πŸ“ Takeover Notes:

Creative formats needed for takeovers/CPM:

  1. Standard Takeover:

    • BB or LB with MPU (can also supply a DMPU if required), supplied as gif/jpg or 3rd party tag.
  2. Fabric Takeover:

    • Top, Middle, and Bottom Fabric with MPU (DMPU if required), supplied as gif/jpg or 3rd party tag.
  3. CPM Takeover:

    • Must follow the same format as either of the above options.