Online Advertising & Marketing Proffesional blog

Situation: You have flash banner 728×90 Leaderboard current size=50kb, but size limit = 30kb. Usual problem ;)

Objective: minus 20kbs…  OK read bellow :)

How quickly check banner size

FAST-SIZE-OPTIMIZATION (save your time first):

>70% projects have the same problem – not optimized images (bitmaps).

1. Check “Compress movie” in publish settings (Basic step)
   1. To avoid this situation – use banner templates
      1. Banner template basics
      2. How to create own template
2. Pictures optimization (1-2-3-…)
   1. Arrange images in library
   2. Control compression level for each image separately (from library)
      1. JPG compression
      2. lossless (GIF/PNG) compression
   3. Try to find maximum quality and size compromise
   4. Reimport different bitmap format (JPG/PNG24/PNG8/GIF)
      1. Difference between these formats
      2. Photo for JPG
      3. “Flat colors” for GIF/PNG8
      4. Transparent photo for PNG24
      5. Transparent small photo/flat colors for GIF/PNG8
3. Check file size report (analyze)
   1. Always re-check size report
   2. Check duplicated images
   3. Check re-sized images

COMPLEX-SIZE-OPTIMIZATION:

1. Check “Compress movie” in publish settings (Basic step)
   1. To avoid this situation – use banner templates
2. Pictures optimization (fastest tactics)
   1. for JPG
   2. for PNG24
   3. for GIF
   4. use PNG8 vs GIF
3. Check file size report (analyze)
4. Check graphic symbols
5. Check complex animation
6. Check complex vector shapes
   1. Too many corners/curves
   2. Use Modify->Shape->Optimize
7. Check fonts
   1. Some fonts utilizes too much space
   2. Avoid complex fonts/artistic fonts
   3. Use bitmap or Braked to Vector fonts
   4. If it’s possible – use one type (not bold, italic,extra-bold)
8. Check embedded fonts
9. Check duplicated content (symbols, graphics, bitmaps,…)
10. Check metadata (do not include XMP metadata)
11. Check sounds compression
12. Check video compression
13. Use Vector vs Bitmap
14. Use Bitmap vs Vector
15. Use Vector + Bitmap smart tactics

clickTAG – tracking and dynamic linking variable for flash banners. (Important for online ads producers, publishers, media buying  agency, online project coordinator).

clickTAG is conventional name of variable which is transporting variable for link URL between HTML and FLASH banner. 

Why clickTAG 

• This is most common and guarantied way to track flash banner clicks
• This is simple way to change landing page link for overal online campaign (without reproducing flash banners)

If you can’t track clicks on banners – you can’t see real performance from ad-serving platform. Click Rate (CTR) is one of basic banner measures.

clickTAG is variable (in _root banner level). It stores external (not hard-coded in flash) link for tracking clicks.
clickTAG is case sensitive. This means that producers have to check right syntax for each ad-network/site.