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baltimoresun.com media kit

Ad Rates

Banners

baltimoresun.com offers a number of display advertising sizes and options. Please see the chart below for a reference of different ad sizes and the specifications for each type of ad.

baltimoresun.com will create display ads based on your input. You can also create and submit your own display ads. All submitted ads must follow the specs outlined below.

When you purchase a display ad:

  • Ads link directly to advertisers web page or customized splash page.
  • Ads appear in rotation on section(s) of your choice.
  • Campaign reports and statistics are generated at the end of each month.

AD TYPE DIMENSIONS MAX FILE SIZE EXAMPLES
Pencil 970 x 30 15K click here
Half Banner 234 x 60 30K  
Cube 300 x 250 40K click here
Large Cube 336 x 280 40K click here
Tall Rectangle 300 x 600 40K click here
Wide Skyscraper 160 x 600 40K click here
Leaderboard 728 x 90 40K click here
Newsletter Ad 728 x 90 15K see leaderboard.
FLASH/VIDEO DIMENSIONS MAX FILE SIZE CONTROLS
Flash Any standard ad size Not to exceed targeted ad size (see above) Must provide .swf file and a .gif/.jpg for back-up. ClickTag must be embedded in .swf file. See flash specs for details.
Pre-Roll Video 640 x 480
In-Page Flash Player
15 seconds
2.5 MB maximum
Original video should be provided in MOV, WMV or FLV format. WMV audio accepted format: Regular WMA Codec. Capped at 2x per user per advertiser per day. 3rd party ad tags accepted.
MOBILE DIMENSIONS MAX FILE SIZE CONTROLS
Banner Ad* 120x20
168x28
216x36
300x50
<1K
<2K
<3K
<5K
16 colors, gif/jpg/png, static or animated GIF. Call to action text up to 16 characters.
Micro Site Various Various Simple landing page for mobile click throughs, can contain email capture, click to call, locator, header graphic
*To run a mobile banner ad, all four sizes are required.

AD REQUIREMENTS
ACCEPTED FILE FORMATS: gif, jpg, jpeg, swf (must also provide back-up gif/jpg)
RESOLUTION: 72dpi
ANIMATION: may loop 3 times with a 15 second maximun for each loop.
CLICK URL: Click URL must be provided when creative is submitted. Length can not exceed 1,000 characters. Flash files must include clickTag. Click here for clickTag instructions.

Third-party served ads

Advertisers are welcome to host their ads on their own servers. However, all ads, whether original to the campaign or added later, must still be approved in advance by baltimoresun.com to ensure compliance with production guidelines.

When designing display ads, please do not submit:


Design Tips:
  • Avoid dark background colors that require white or light text treatments.
  • Use Whitespace. Too much information is overwhelming.
  • Include advertiser's name
  • Highlight a specific offer
  • Emphasize benefits (value), not features (information)
  • Tie in with a timely product
  • Be credible, direct, honest and to the point