Cars.com
Cars.com Advertising Specifications for Power Positions
» Download these instructions in a .PDF (62kb)
Ad Requirements (All creative: gifs, jpgs, & swfs):
• File Size: 40Kb or less
• Sizes permitted: 728x90 & 160x600
• Static or Animated GIF or JPG files accepted.
• All creative with a white background must have a dark border around it. If not, border will be added by Cars.com.
• Creative Animations permitted with 4 frames max.
• Creative cannot mimic Cars.com editorial content & is subject to final approval.
• Click URL must be provided and can not exceed 150 characters.
• To ensure accurate reporting, do not include a “question mark” in the click URL. If included, clicks from the Power
Postion to any dealer’s web site will not be counted in the Online Ad Reporting as a “Web Site Transfer”.
However, click-thru reporting for Power Positions should still be accurate.
Additional Flash only Requirements:
• The swf file must be made for Flash versions 5 - 8. Cars.com currently cannot support Flash v9.
• A default gif/jpg image is required.
• Cars.com currently only supports a single click destination for swf files. Reporting limitations exist if multiple
URLs are embedded in swf file and therefore cannot be supported.
• In-banner creative only, expandable or out-of-banner creative is not allowed.
• Flash must be limited to less than 18 FPS (frames per second).
• Cars.com will wrap swf in the appropriate code for detecting a user's Flash plugin and displaying the creative.
• The fla/swf must contain a clicktag function on the action tag for the click URL and must open in a new window.
Embedded click URLs are not allowed.
Please refer to Macromedia’s guidelines for detailed clicktag instructions:
http://www.macromedia.com/resources/richmedia/tracking/designers_guide/
GetURL action button will look as follows in flash:
Flash version 4:
on (release) {
getURL(_level0:clicktag, "_blank");
}
Flash versions 5 and above:
on (release) {
getURL(_level0.clicktag, "_blank");
}
Please note that the 0 in “level0” is a zero. Entering an alpha character “O” will ensure that the ad test will fail.
Below is an example screenshot of how this appears in the flash developer tool.
*Rich Media Allowances only for the following:
• User Initiated Audio
o Sound must be initiated by user click only and have a clear and functioning mute option.
o Sound must not contain any obscene or graphic language and is subject to Cars.com approval.
• In-banner flash video
o Banners with video must have an initial load of 40 KB per file size limitations.
o Sound can only activate with user click initiation.
o Video controls must be clearly present and functioning and include sound on/off, pause, & play.
o Video cannot contain graphic, obscene, or controversial material or mimic Cars.com editorial content.
o All video content is subject to Cars.com editorial final approval.
o Video cannot be linkable and Cars.com will not track interactions within video.
o Advertiser must be clearly identified.
All of the above must be followed so that turn-around times are not compromised.
Print-Friendly version of this page