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Creative Specifications
Creative Specifications

Everything you need to know about the creative formats and specifications supported on our platform

GSM360 Support avatar
Written by GSM360 Support
Updated over a month ago


We support 4 creative types: Image, HTML, Video and Native, linking to your product page.

It is recommended to refer to the Tracking Macros as well as Creative Guidelines & Policies documents to ensure your ads are recording important events and adhere to regulations.

You can run only 1 Creative Type per campaign, so it is best to understand how each creative type can add value to a campaign.

Image

  • Banner & Interstitial Assets

    • Simple and easy to produce.

    • Can be static or animated as GIFs.

    • Increase reach at scale with call-to-action messaging.

    • Find viewable placements in front of valuable users.

    • Expand app publisher variety through banner creatives, as they are the most common placement for non-gaming publishers.

    • Provides a full-screen experience for users through interstitials.

Type

Dimensions

Formats

File Size

Banner

320x50, 300x250, 728x90*

JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF

Max 700kb

Interstitial

Portrait:

320x480

768x1024*

1080x1920*

Landscape:

480x320

1024x768*

1920x1080*

JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF

Max 700kb

* Recommended dimensions for tablets

HTML

  • Rich Media and Playable Assets

    • Acquire new users with engaging custom content.

    • Drive Click-Through performance by increasing user interaction.

    • Improve Lifetime value, offering new users a look inside before the need for an install (e.g play a preview level of the game right inside the ad)

This Playable and Viewable creative type is a tailored and valuable addition to any in-app campaign, designed to be responsive across all devices and orientations. It is recommended to run on full-screen formats such as Rewarded and Interstitial as they naturally provide higher engagement levels.

Type

Dimensions

Formats

File Size

Creative Code #

-

The HTML code/file e.g index.html

Max 10kb

Assets - Banner

320x50, 300x250, 728x90*

JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF

Max 700kb, loaded from a CDN

It is recommended to load all your assets inline from one .js file using base64 image encoding.

Assets - Interstitial

Portrait:

320x480

768x1024*

1080x1920*

Landscape:

480x320

1024x768*

1920x1080*

Image:
JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF

Video:

mp4

Max 5MB, loaded from a CDN

It is recommended to load all your assets inline from one .js file using base64 image encoding.

* Recommended dimensions for tablets

# Creative Code:

can be snippets of raw HTML (or JS) code, for example:

<a href="https://www.nike.com"><img src="http://nike320x50.jpg"> </a><script src="https://display-ad.com/ad-location-js-file"><script><style>INCLUDE CSS STYLE</style><img src="https://impression-pixel-url">

or full HTML documents, for example:

<!DOCTYPE html> <html lang="en"> <head> <style> html, body { padding: 0; margin: 0; overflow: hidden; } </style> </head> <body> <div id="26408100"></div><script id="scrid" src="https://marketpublish.com/apps/times/mgic?ourCreative=TnW2w&div_id=26408100&dsp=geospot_a1&publisher={EXCHANGE_NAME}&camp_id=Nord_us_ios_manual&source=manual&bundle_id={APP_BUNDLE}&idfa={DEVICE_PLATFORM_ID}"></script> </body> </html>

Note:

  • Code should include the mandatory macro {CONVERSION_ID}. This is used to track your App/website events and ensures that GSM360 is able to track unique bid ID.

  • Code should include the click macro {HTML_CLICK_URL}. This is to ensure GSM360 is able to track clicks and display those clicks in the dashboard.

  • Code should not contain <iframe> due to rendering and reporting issues.

  • Code should not include single-line comments: // or <!--

  • Code should be minified, which is the process of removing unnecessary characters and white spaces from a source code file without affecting its functionality.

  • All references to external assets must be absolute URLs instead of relative URLs and HTTPS instead of HTTP.

Best Practices for Rich Media Ads and Playables

  • Loading Screen: Playable Ads must have a loading screen, which is ideally clickable (especially in cases where an ad takes a significant amount of time to load) and populated with the target URL directly. You can use the loading screen of the game/app to increase the recognition factor and branding effect.

  • Tutorial: Create a tutorial for the first 2-3 steps to instruct users how to engage with the game. For instance, add a text-box informing the user what they need to do in order to start playing. A good idea is to add animated pointers or arrows.

  • CTA Screen: It is recommended to make the whole screen clickable, and to add an engaging end-screen CTA to improve engagement rates.

Video

  • Video Assets

    • Come in various sizes and duration, catering to a wide range of ad formats.

    • Increase brand awareness for new or little-known brands.

    • Drive click-through performance with engaging video and end cards.

    • Guarantee a completed video view through Rewarded, unskippable placements (for first 15 seconds of video)

    • Increase reach at an efficient cost through Interstitial placements.

Type

Dimensions

Formats

File Size

Video Asset

Portrait:

720x1280

1080x1920*

Landscape:

1280x720

1920x1080*

mp4 (preferred), h.264

>24fps

5mb (ideal), up to max 10mb

End Cards

Should be equal to the dimensions of the assigned video

JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF

Max 700kb

* Recommended dimensions for tablets

Best Practices for Videos

  • Interstitial vs Rewarded:

    • Interstitial placements are skippable, usually after 5 seconds. This varies across exchanges, e.g. Chartboost provides a 3-second skip delay while AppLovin provides an 8-second skip delay. Interstitials are typically cheaper compared to Rewarded placements.

    • Rewarded placements are non-skippable during the first 30 seconds. Make the most of this time and the user's willingness to view the creative!

  • End Card: End Cards provide an additional way for the user to interact with your creative, hence increasing engagement. They may close immediately or after 5-6 seconds.

  • Orientation: Portrait is preferred; most mobile users use their phones in a vertical / portrait position. As such, the majority of bid requests generated correspond to portrait-oriented impression opportunities. However, to maximize reach (in terms of eligible bid requests), it is recommended to run both portrait and landscape versions.

  • Resolution:

    • Portrait creatives will be eligible for ALL portrait oriented bid requests.

    • Landscape creatives will be eligible for ALL landscape oriented bid requests.

    • Squared creatives will be eligible for ALL portrait and landscape oriented bid requests, though resulting in poorer experience due to the introduction of black borders.

  • Duration: Avoid videos shorter than 5s, as this is usually the minimum duration for many ad exchanges. Doing so will guarantee maximum reach for your creative. Videos below 30s have the highest potential reach across all ad exchanges.

Native

  • Native Assets

    • Share brand details with the additional description and call to action.

    • Integrate seamlessly with publisher content.

    • Expand reach and improve performance.

Native ads are built from a number of metadata elements, such as:

  • App Icon

  • Title

  • Description

  • Thumbnail Image

  • Call/Click to Action

  • Click URL

Metadata Element

Dimensions

Format

File Size

App Icon

256x256 or higher; aspect ratio must be 1:1

JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF

Max 700kb

Title

25 characters including spaces.

Recommended to use the App Name as the Title.

Text

-

Description

90 characters including spaces.

Text

-

Thumbnail Image

1200x627

JPEG, JPG, PNG, GIF

Max 700kb

CTA

15 characters including spaces.

Text

-

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