Creating SWF file advertisements

Optimize your graphics as much as possible. For more information on optimizing graphics and animations, see Optimizing graphics and animation. Make your SWF file banner advertisements 15K or smaller. Create a GIF banner advertisement in Flash that is 12K or smaller. Limit looping banner advertisements to three repetitions. Many websites adopt the standardized file size recommendations as advertising specifications.

Use the GET command to pass data between an advertisement and a server, and do not use the POST command. For more information on GET and POST, see getURL() in Flash ActionScript Language Reference.

Note: Remember to provide control to the user. If you add sound to an advertisement, also add a mute button. If you create a transparent Flash ad that hovers over a web page, always provide a button to close the advertisement for its entire duration.

Tracking advertisements

Several leading advertising networks now support standardized tracking methods in Flash SWF files. The following guidelines describe the supported tracking methodology:

Create a button or movie clip button You should use standardized dimensions outlined by the IAB. For a list of standardized dimensions, see www.iab.net/standards. For more information on creating a button in Flash, see "Creating buttons" in Using Flash.

Add a script to the button This script executes when a user clicks the banner. You might use the getURL() function to open a new browser window. For example, you might add the following to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

this.myButton_btn.onRelease = function(){
  getURL(clickTAG, "_blank");
};

You might add the following code to Frame 1 of the Timeline:

this.myButton_btn.onRelease = function() {
  if (clickTAG.substr(0, 5) == "http:") {
    getURL(clickTAG);
  }

};

The getURL() function adds the variable passed in the object and embed tags, and then sends the browser that is launched to the specified location. The server hosting the ad can track clicks on the advertisement. For more information on using the getURL() function, see getURL()in Flash ActionScript Language Reference.

Assign clickTAG code for tracking This code tracks the advertisement and helps the network serving the ad to track where the ad appears and when it is clicked.

The process is the standard way of creating an advertising campaign for a typical Flash advertisement. If you assign the getURL() function to the banner, you can use the following process to add tracking to the banner. The following example lets you append a variable to a URL string to pass data, which lets you set dynamic variables for each banner, instead of creating a separate banner for each domain. This means that you can use a single banner for the entire campaign, and any server that is hosting the ad can track the clicks on the banner.

In the object and embed tags in your HTML, you would add code similar to the following example:

<EMBED src="your_ad.swf?clickTAG= http://adnetwork.com/tracking?http://www.destinationURL.com">

And you would add the following code in your HTML:

<PARAM NAME=movie VALUE="your_ad.swf?clickTAG =http://adnetwork.com/tracking?http://www.destinationURL.com">

For more information on advanced tracking techniques, see the Rich Media Advertising Center at www.macromedia.com/devnet/rich_media_ads.

To download the Rich Media Tracking Kit, which includes examples and documentation, see www.macromedia.com/resources/richmedia/tracking.

To learn more about and download the Flash Ad Kit, which helps you deliver integrated and sophisticated advertisements, see www.macromedia.com/devnet/rich_media_ads/articles/flash_ad_kit.html.

Testing your ads

Ensure that your SWF file ad works on the most common browsers, and, in particular, the ones that your target audience use. Some users might not have Flash Player installed or they might have JavaScript disabled. Plan for these circumstances by having a replacement (default) GIF image or other scenarios for these users. For more information on detecting Flash Player, see "Setting publish options for the Flash SWF file format" in Using Flash. Be sure to give the user control of the SWF file. Let the user control any audio in the ad. If the advertisement is a borderless SWF file that hovers over a web page, let the user close the advertisement immediately and for the duration of the ad.

For the latest information on Flash Player version penetration for different regions, go to www.macromedia.com/software/player_census/flashplayer/version_penetration.html.

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