Leaderboard

Leaderboard ads are 728x90 banners defined as a standard IAB unit, hence they are supported by most major ad serving companies. These units tend to be the first thing users see as Leaderboards tend to be placed at the top of a page, hence the term “leader.” Leaderboard ads can either be static images or interactive expandables that feature user-initiated audio and video.. Click here to download a template.

Specifications

Creative Unit Name IAB Standard	Dimensions width x height	File Types	File Size Limit (kilobytes)
Leaderboard (Image Only)	728x90	.gif, .jpg, .png, 3rd party tag	60 KB max initial load
HTML 5 Leaderboard	728x90	HTML5, 3rd party tag	200 KB max initial load
Expandable Leaderboard	728x90 expands to 728x300	HTML5, 3rd party tag	HTML5: 200 KB max initial load; 300 KB subload

Animation: Allowed for this unit.

15s max - 3 loops max

3rd Party Hosted: Required for HTML5 units not being built by Northstar. See General Guidelines for additional information. Northstar will not provide video metrics on 3rd party hosted creative.

Expansion: Allowed for this unit. See more at Expandable Ad Specs.
A copy of our HTML5 expandable template is available for download here.

Expansion Direction: Left
Expansion Method - Expand: On Click
Expansion Method - Close: On Mouse-Off or On Click
Expansion Controls on Edge - Replay, Close X

Video & Audio: Allowed for this unit.

Image and Video combined cannot exceed 1 MB in total file size.
Audio Starts with Video after User Initiation
Video: Minimum 24fps. Resolution 240x180 or greater.
Preferred file formats: *.mpg, *.avi, *.flv, *.mov and *.mp4.
Length: 15 seconds maximum
Video Controls: Play, Pause, Rewind, Volume.
Controls on Edge - Replay, Close X

DELIVERABLES:

All materials must be received to the specifications outlined in this document, otherwise your campaign may be delayed.

You will receive a materials-reminder email 10 business days prior to the scheduled deploy date. You will receive two additional reminders up to 3 days prior to the scheduled deploy date. Please ensure materials are received no later as materials received after your 3^rd and final reminder may postpone your campaign.

Please send image files per the specs outlined in this document along with your click-thru URL to the appropriate email in our Materials Contact page.

Please include the ad-run date, publication name, and ad unit in your email subject line so we can properly traffic your materials. Ex. “8/1 TW ROS Leaderboard”

When possible, optimize your images for web viewing. Only fully qualified and properly formatted URLs may be used (example: https://www.ntmllc.com/).

General Requirements:

Send images in the file format specified along with your click-thru URL. When possible, optimize your images for web viewing.

All click-through URLs must be fully qualified and properly formatted (example: https://www.ntmllc.com/).

When possible, ensure all links and assets are SSL compliant so browsers can render the creative properly in all environments and to avoid your landing page being blocked by users trying to click through your email. This refers to both your ad materials as well as all materials used on your landing page(s). NTG will not run any ad where clicking-through to your landing page or website is blocked by security protocols. For more information on SSL compliance, please visit: https://support.google.com/richmedia/answer/6015286?hl=en

Tracking & Reporting:

All testing of tracking mechanism must be done by client prior to sending materials to NTG. NTG will provide metrics reports as proof of deploy and performance, but will not guarantee metrics on click trackers and impression tags as they are not within our system, and will not offer any make-goods for non-functioning trackers or tags.

NTG will provide metrics reports as proof of deploy and performance, but will not guarantee track ability by any third-party vendor or offer any make-goods for non-functioning third-party tags. Reports will be provided by the campaign management & sales support teams.