Ever spent an afternoon trying to get your Google ads artwork down to the 50kb maximum? And, how about trying to work the same artwork into a leaderboard format and a skyscraper? Sound familiar? Then you’re in for a treat.
It’s unclear when these recent changes to the supported specs for image ads on the Google Display Network were introduced, but they weren’t there a couple of days ago on our accounts.
Amid the typical fanfare of changes to Google’s services (I know – I’m being sarcastic) this one also seems to have crept in completely under the radar… and there are some truly significant changes.
Not only are all our regular sizes still available – but they have been joined by a swathe of new options – how about a 580 x 400 “Netboard” or a 930 x 180 “Top Banner”…. it’s enough to get you grabbing for your mouse…. and whilst these new sizes are interesting, perhaps the biggest change – is that the maximum file size has jumped from 50kb to 150kb – in part because of the larger sizes but also as a reflection of how internet speeds are getting steadily faster.
The impact this is likely to have on advertisers, and in particular agencies who handle large accounts, should not be overlooked. Those that are currently developing new campaigns will work to these new specifications – we are likely to see more imagery and animation as the file size allows – but there will also be a significant novelty value to the new larger ad sizes.
So it’s not just going to be a case of developing ads in the new sizes. Creatives will have to rework all ads to take full advantage of the memory allocations – it’s going to be a busy couple of weeks for some!
