www.medscape.com

 

Technical Specifications for
Professional Media Rotation (Non RC)
Medscape.com & eMedicine.com
Last Modified: May 15, 2008

Materials Submission and Support

Please send ad materials and correspondence to: WebMD Ad Operations
This will ensure full campaign support, regardless of individual trafficker availability.

Technical Specifications

A. Ad Sizes

1. Leaderboard
Size: 728x90 pixels
Max initial load size: 30k

2. Medium Rectangle
Size: 300x250 pixels
Max initial load size: 30k

3. Skyscraper
Size: 120x600 pixels
Max initial load size: 30k

* We are in the process of a site redesign and will be upgrading the Skyscraper (120x600) to a Medium Rectangle (300x250). Both sizes are required prior to 10/1/08 and only the 300x250 after 10/1/08. Please ask your Account Rep for details about these changes.

MedPulse

1. Skyscraper
Size: 120x600 pixels
Max initial load size: 30k
No Rich Media – ONLY gif/jpeg

2. Text Ads
Size: 250 character limit (title should include a maximum of 67 characters)
Links: Maximum of two (2) links throughout the ad

Sample:

Don't miss your chance to win a $500 prize

Enter Medscape.com's 10^th Anniversary Member Essay Challenge. Every week a $500 gift certificate will be awarded to one lucky winner. For details, click here.

B. Lead Times and Deployment

1. WebMD requires the following lead times in order to test and deploy ads:

• Flash, Rich Media: 5 business days from creative receipt as long as specs are met.
• Standard creative: 3 business days from creative receipt as long as specs are met.

2. Creatives will only be deployed for signed contracts.

3. Creatives will only be deployed to the level of targeting detail stated on contract.

4. WebMD reserves the right to limit the number of creatives deployed, and number of changes to creative per contract.

C. Ad Behavior and Performance

• Total max animation and looping time: 30 seconds
• All clicks to Medscape.com URLs should open in the same browser window. All other clicks should open a new browser window.
• A click can open only one new browser window.
• 3rd party tags must serve working ads to all browsers and operating systems.
• 3rd party serving speed and performance must be consistent and reliable.
• Additional specifications per ad format are detailed below.

D. Approved Ad Formats (Medscape.com only)

1. Medscape Hosted Image Files
Image files can be hosted by Medscape, and the click served to 1 URL destination per file.

2. 3rd Party Tags (Within Ad Space)
Officially approved vendors include: Doubleclick, Atlas, MediaPlex, and Falk.
*All other vendors require advance review and approval by Medscape Ad Operations.

1. Click Redirect
   Image files can be hosted and the click served with a 3rd party redirect URL.
2. Standard Tags
   3rd party redirects can be used to serve the creative and the clickthrough.
   * No DFA Internal Redirects are accepted
3. iFrame/Javascript, or Javascript Tags
   For this format, we cannot guarantee tracking of clicks, or any metric other than impressions served, via the WebMD ad system.
   Please note, for Flash ads, wmode must set to opaque.

3. HTML Ads with multiple clickthroughs
Medscape can provide tracking on aggregate clicks per creative unit only. Code must be written in valid XHTML 1.0.

4. Medscape hosted Flash ads
Medscape highly recommends the use of 3^rd-party ad systems to serve and track performance on Flash creatives.

However, if you do require Medscape to host your Flash creatives, please read the following carefully.

Developer Guidelines for Flash ads hosted and click-tracked by Medscape

a. Version 4, 5, 6, 7 and 8 SWFs are acceptable. Please inform us of the file version you are submitting to ensure proper implementation. Flash 9 is currently not accepted.

b. Clickthrough functions must use the following clickTag actionscript: on (release){ if (_level0.clickTag.substr(0,5) == "http:") { getURL(_level0.clickTag, target="_blank"); } } This actionscript must be applied to a button layer in the Flash SWF files for all clickthroughs. Do not hard code the URL into the SWF. Medscape will use our HTML to manage the clickthrough destination. Instead, send the URL to be assigned to each SWF. Please note that only 1 clickthrough URL value can be assigned per SWF. Also, Medscape can only provide tracking on total clicks per SWF, and cannot break out click data for the Flash creative versus the default GIF/JPGs. For additional information visit: http://www.adobe.com/resources/richmedia/tracking/

c. A default GIF or JPG and clickthrough URL must be also be submitted to support users without Flash. These may also be used by Medscape in place of Flash, if SWF is incorrectly built at time of campaign launch.

d. Due to the amount of testing required, Medscape allows a max of 10 Flash ad creatives per campaign, unless approval is granted prior to pricing and contract signature.

For more detailed guidelines and working examples, please contact ads@webmd.net.

5. Expandable Ads
All expanding ads must be 3rd party served.
Officially approved vendor: PointRoll (Iframe Tagging only)
All other vendors require advance review and case-by-case approval by Medscape Ad Operations.

Important:

• 728x90 and 120x600 ads are served into Iframes.
• 300x250 ad is served via JavaScript.

• The "Advertisement" label used by Medscape to denote advertising must remain in clear view, or be replicated, whether ad is expanded or collapsed. In almost every case, the label must be built into the ad creative itself, due to the current IFRAME structures on Medscape. Please contact us for the label images and/or code.
• Expansion must be initiated by mouseover or click. Mouseover must be held in place for 1 second before expansion.
• Ad must collapse when mouse is moved off expanded section.
• "Close" or "collapse" button must be included.
• Iframe tagging only
• A default backup GIF/JPG must be served to all users who cannot accept the expanding ad format.
• Maximum expansions, in pixels:
  
  

  Initial Ad Size	Ad Tag	Max Expansion Size	Expansion Direction
  728x90 Top	Served into Iframe	728x360	Down
  728x90 Bottom	Served into Iframe	728x360	Up
  120x600 Right Rail	Served into Iframe	370x600	Left
  120x600 Left Rail	Served into Iframe	370x600	Right
  300x250 Right Rail	Served via Javascript	500x250	left

6. Audio ads

• Sound must be user-initiated with a click.
• A clearly marked option for muting sound must be included for the entire duration. Examples include a button marked "sound off", or "turn off sound".

7. Video ads

• Streaming ads need to adhere to Medscape initial load requirements (see above).
• A clearly marked option for stopping video must be included for the entire duration.
• A clearly marked option for muting sound must be included for the entire duration.
• Max playtime, if non-user initiated = 30 seconds.
• Max playtime, if user initiated with a click = unlimited.
• Sound must be user-initiated with a click.
• A default backup ad must be included for all users who cannot accept the video format.

8. Ad formats that are NOT approved:

• Pop-ups
• Pop-unders
• Floating ads, a.k.a. "out-of-banner"
• Interstitials
• Superstitials

The WebMD Health Network for Professionals – Advertising Policies

The WebMD Professional sites consist of Medscape.com, eMedicine.com, and TheHeart.org. The WebMD Professional sites accept advertising from companies wishing to advertise their brands and/or associated brand sites. As a matter of policy, however, WebMD WILL NOT accept advertising on the professional sites from:

• Any site that that links directly to a registration/email capture page. Any resulting user registration or email capture pages deriving from an ad click on the WebMD Professional sites must be, at minimum, two clicks away from the original advertisement.
• Any site that requires registration and/or log-in in order to view a significant portion of the site's content. WebMD reserves the right to determine what level is 'significant'.
• Any site whose ads on WebMD will include polling, quiz, or diagnostic functionality.
• Any site that is deemed to be competitive to WebMD's business such as online CME.

In addition:

• WebMD will use the "Advertisement" label to denote advertising above all non-expandable ads placed on any of its professional sites. All expandable ads MUST include the label "Advertisement" inside the ad, to be viewable both before and during ad expansion.
• Medscape reserves the right to limit the number of creatives deployed per campaign, and changes to the creative in rotation, where ad operations support is required.
• Ads linking outside of Medscape must open in a new window.

The WebMD Professional Network reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to reject or discontinue, for any reason and at any time, any advertising for any campaign.

Billing

1. Third party vendor surcharge must be discussed in advance and reflected within the overall program price – if client/agency does not have a direct deal with rich media vendor – vendor rate card rate should be applied.
2. For billing on actual campaigns, rich media vendors counts will serve as the authoritative source for impression delivery, unless client serves rich media tags through 3rd party tags (also known as "4th party serving").