IAB - Ad Unit Guidelines
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Ad Unit Guidelines
Updated November 2009
Download the 2009 Updated Ad Unit Guidelines
In early 2009, the IAB launched its Reimagining Interactive Advertising initiative by bringing leaders from creative
agencies, media agencies, and publishers together to discuss the next creative evolution of digital marketing. The
newly formed Reimagining Interactive Advertising Taskforce decided that its first order of business would be to review
the IAB Ad Unit Guidelines. The IAB Ad Unit Guidelines concern animated in-page display ads, such as standard Flash
files, flat JPGs, or animated GIFs. Rich media ad units are also reviewed annually but through separate guidelines
because of their additional creative and technological complexity.
Each year, the IAB reviews its Ad Unit Guidelines by convening a working group of its membership. Because of the
Reimagining group’s input, the 2009 Ad Unit Sizes Working Group included creative and media agencies for the first
time. The joint publisher-agency working group updated the criteria for inclusion as a standard ad unit by looking at
industry-wide impression count reports, ad unit availability, agency-side effectiveness reviews, and creative
preferences. With the new criteria, it made recommendations on the current list of eighteen standard ad units,
including:
In order to be considered a standard, an ad unit must be commonly bought and offered throughout the
marketplace; only seven of the eighteen ad units currently on the list meet this new criteria
Ad units will not be removed from the standards list in 2009, but must meet the criteria by the end of 2010
Adoption of new, innovative, effective ad units across networks and publishers will be encouraged by the IAB
through a separate process
The IAB Ad Unit Guidelines are intended for marketers, agencies and
media companies for use in the creating, planning, buying and selling of
interactive marketing and advertising.  The IAB’s Ad Sizes Working
Group meets on a bi-annual basis to review proposed new ad units and issue
updated voluntary guidelines as appropriate.  The process whereby these
new units are reviewed and considered can be downloaded here .
Publishers
These voluntary guidelines provide a framework for advertising inventory and web page
design. The goal is to reduce and simplify the amount of work for agencies that may be
faced with having to create several assets of a similar size for different publishers, e.g.
300x95, 300x100, 300x105 pixels.  The recommended file weights and animation lengths are
specifically for animated in-page display ads, typically using an authoring program such as
Adobe Flash or appearing as animated GIFs.  For creative guidelines for Rich Media ad formats, such as “peelbacks”
and “transitionals” (previously referred to as “over-the-page” units), please see the IAB Rich Media Guidelines.
You are encouraged to examine the standardized units and consider them for inclusion into your product offerings.
Agencies & Advertisers
As you expand and utilize greater creativity in your interactive messaging, these Guidelines suggest various units that
are being introduced or offered by various publishers.  Please consult your partners to understand their full creative
specifications.
IAB - Ad Unit Guidelines

We also encourage agencies to use the IAB Creative Spec Database as a simple, easy-to-use centralized source of
interactive advertising creative specifications.

NOTE: All dimensions are in pixels.

Rectangles and Pop-Ups

Recommended
Recommended
Maximum
Animation
    Initial
Length
Download
(Seconds)
Fileweight

300 x 250 IMU - (Medium Rectangle) View IMU 40k :15

250 x 250 IMU - (Square Pop-Up) View IMU 40k :15
240 x 400 IMU - (Vertical Rectangle) View IMU 40k :15
336 x 280 IMU - (Large Rectangle) View IMU 40k :15
180 x 150 IMU - (Rectangle)  View IMU 40k :15
*NEW* 300x100 IMU - (3:1 Rectangle) View IMU 40k :15
*NEW* 720x300 IMU – (Pop-Under) View IMU 40k :15

Banners and Buttons

468 x 60 IMU - (Full Banner) View IMU 40k :15

234 x 60 IMU - (Half Banner) View IMU 30k :15
88 x 31 IMU - (Micro Bar) View IMU 10k :15
120 x 90 IMU - (Button 1) View IMU 20k :15
120 x 60 IMU - (Button 2) View IMU 20k :15
120 x 240 IMU - (Vertical Banner) View IMU 30k :15
125 x 125 IMU - (Square Button) View IMU 30k :15
728 x 90 IMU - (Leaderboard) View IMU 40k :15

Skyscrapers

160 x 600 IMU - (Wide Skyscraper) View IMU 40k :15

120 x 600 IMU - (Skyscraper) View IMU 40k :15
300 x 600 IMU - (Half Page Ad) View IMU 40k :15

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Those sizes that are bold above are part of the Universal Ad Package
:15 animation includes multiple loops

Other Information:
Please consult these additional creative guidelines for more information:

IAB Digital Video Creative Guidelines

IAB Pop-Up Guidelines
IAB Rich Media Guidelines
IAB Universal Ad Package

 
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IAB - Ad Unit Guidelines

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