Tech-Specs

Technical Specifications for Professional Media on HCPLive.com
Standard and Rich Media Network Ads

Technical Specifications

A. Creative Specifications

• Static images must adhere to this template where blue is creative (see image below)
• Flash peelbacks must be created third party (440K w/o video; 2.2MB with video)

B. Ad Behavior, Controls, and Performance

• Total max animation time: 15 seconds, regardless of loops
• Controls: “Close X”, Font = 16 pt, Location: Edge of original (non-expanded/expanded unit), Feature = Enable Mouse-Off Retraction
• All clicks used to open web pages must do so in 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

C. Approved Ad Formats

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.
3. "Rich Media" or iFrame/Javascript.
   For this format, we cannot guarantee tracking of clicks, or any metric other than impressions served, via the HCPLive.com ad system. wmode needs to be set to opaque for Flash.

• The "Advertisement" label used by HCPLive.com 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 structures on HCPLive.com. 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 one second before expansion.
• Ad must collapse when mouse is moved off expanded section.
• "Close X" button must be included.
• Script tagging only, but we will test iFrame if needed
• A default backup GIF/JPG must be served to all users who cannot accept the expanding ad format.
• Expansion Directions: See chart on page 1

• Ad units must retract within 15 seconds of page load
• Ad units must push content down, not cover it
• "Close X" button must be included.

• 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".

• Streaming ads need to adhere to HCPLive.com initial load requirements (see above)
• 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

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

HCPLive.com Email Specifications

Preparing the TEXT Version:

• 65 characters per line with a hard linefeed (or carriage return) at the end of every line. Without this, the text is subject to the formatting conditions of any and all e-mail programs, any of which may break the lines at arbitrary points
• Double space between paragraphs
• Convert titles or headings to ALL CAPS
• Use full URLs, for example http://www.HCPLive.com rather than simply www.HCPLive.com. Some e-mail readers will not convert the latter into a clickable link.
• A maximum of 24 text links may be tracked for an e-mail. This includes 12 text links each for the HTML and Text versions.
• All trailing spaces (the spaces before the line break at the end of every line) should be removed as some e-mail programs will convert these to =20.

Prepare the copy in HTML using an HTML Editor:

• Constrain the page within a 720 pixel table that is centered on the page. This will allow the whole message to be displayed on screen without the need to scroll from left to right. (This takes into consideration the most common screen resolutions.)
• DO NOT rely on style sheets to format your document. Many readers disregard Style Sheets (i.e. the majority of web-based e-mail viewers). Inline style tags may be used, but do not reference a style class listed inside the body of the e-mail. You may, however, link to an external style sheet hosted on your own server.
• DO NOT embed Javascript, Java applets, VBscript or any other scripting language in your document. Security settings on popular e-mail clients may warn the recipient that the e-mail is 'Unsafe' and automatically delete the message. IFRAMES are not visible in the Microsoft Outlook/Outlook Express, the most commonly used e-mail client, as the default settings list IFRAMES as unsafe content.
• Only use JPG images (best for photograph type pictures) or GIF images (best for text and clipart) that are optimized for the Web.
• Use web-based fonts (e.g. Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Geneva, Sans-serif).
• Third-party advertising tags must be standard tags (no IFrames or JavaScript - only HREF/IMG)
• Image maps may not be used; instead break up the images and nest in table cells with the desired cells having the click thru tags associated with it.
• Attach a domain to the image source in the HTML, using the absolute URL instead of only the directory for the image source (ex: http://www.yourwebsite.com/images/test.gif)
• Inline Cascading Style Sheets with the style attribute may be used, but no other style sheets will be accepted.
• HTML background must be white, but images can be used to create the appearance of a colored background

The HCPLive.com (Healthcare Professionals Network) – Advertising Policies

• Any site that requires user registration for viewing advertised content or that links directly to a registration/email capture page.Any resulting user registration or e-mail capture pages deriving from an ad click on the HCPLive.com sites must be, at minimum, two clicks away from the original advertisement.
• Any site whose ads on HCPLive.com will include polling, quiz, or diagnostic functionality.
• Any site that is deemed to be competitive to HCPLive.com’s business

• HCPLive.com 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.
• HCPLive.com 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 HCPLive.com must open in a new window
• Please do not submit any deceptive creative tactics. These include ads simulating computer system warning dialog boxes that lead the viewer to believe their computer, our server or the system is experiencing technical difficulties or that they need to click on the box (ad) to eliminate the message from their screen.
• Ads must not modify any elements of a user’s browser or computer settings.
• Ads must not resemble HCPLive.com’s editorial content (exact or close replica), and ads must not include references to HCPLive.com or any associated print publications unless part of previously arranged co-promotions.
• Creative must be delivered 5-7 business days prior to launch for testing and Q&A. All creative must function uniformly on both Mac and PC platforms, as well as multiple browser versions of IE and Firefox. Any units not conforming to all outlined specifications will not be placed online and will result in delayed start dates.

Billing

1. The advertiser agrees to pay at the contracted rate. The final cost of the project will vary based upon the number of delivered e-mails, impressions, or other agreed-upon method. 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").
2. Agents are expected to accept financial responsibility for orders regardless of whether or not payment has been received from their clients.
3. If agents fail to make payment after 90 days, HCPLive.com reserves the right to contact, bill, and penalize their clients.
4. All orders contain a scheduled drop/launch date. All cancellations or rescheduling must be done no less than ten (10) business days prior to drop/launch date. Failure to deliver creative materials or attempts to cancel/reschedule less than 10 business days prior to the assigned drop/launch date will result in billing at the scheduled rate based on the estimated list size/impressions.