Tag Archives: doubleclick studio

The Layouts Series 2.0 – Elevate your digital campaign: Millmaine trades up from static banner ads to rich media




This week, we’ve covered how to use Studio Layouts to give yourself more space for brainstorming while still being able to build HTML5 and engaging Lightbox and YouTube Mastheads with ease. Today we’ll focus on how you can elevate even your static image ads to rich media with Layouts.

Building rich media ads in Flash is complex, translating from Flash to HTML5 is even more complex, and the whole process can leave agencies throwing their hands in the air and reverting back to static image ads. DoubleClick Studio Layouts provide an opportunity to elevate your standard banner ads and trade up from static images to rich media, without the added cost and production time. 

Millmaine jumps from static image to HTML5 rich media in one hour.
Millmaine Entertainment Marketing typically created digital campaigns for their client, the National Gallery of Australia, that primarily involved standard ad units. According to Gerard Rowan, Creative Director at Millmaine, “normally, we would just run some static images, but I had been researching the possibilities of DoubleClick Studio and when I came across Layouts, it seemed like an easy way to implement a rich media campaign.”

Millmaine used the HTML5 Featured Video Layout to create a unit that reused the National Gallery’s existing TV commercial in a display ad, giving them more reach across the web. To promote the "Gold and the Incas" exhibit specifically, they built an ad that evoked scenes from the ancient Incan civilization intercut with shots of the actual exhibit.

Rowan says the process of creating the campaign with Layouts was “nice and quick”. In fact, he had the ads up and running within one hour. “With DoubleClick Studio Layouts, it was a matter of swapping out some of the elements, such as the background image and the call-to-action button, and then supplying a link to the YouTube video for our television commercial.”

The choice paid off. More than 84,000 people viewed it in one day, and 3,230 clicked through to learn more. In the end, more than a quarter million people saw the ad, which was used for a home page takeover of the main newspaper in Australia’s capital city, The Canberra Times. 

Rowan concluded, “We don’t usually have days and weeks to turn jobs around. More often we have a few hours. So we are looking for quick and effective solutions like DoubleClick Studio Layouts, which give us the potential to build more rich media content so we can do more exciting web ads for our clients.”

Learn more about Studio Layouts here, and get started today by visiting the Layouts tab in your DoubleClick Studio Account.

Posted by Becky Chappell, DoubleClick Product Marketing

The Layouts Series 2.0 – "Long-tail" doesn’t have to mean boring: LG livestreams smartphone launch across the web


Yesterday’s blog post focused on how to easily build HTML5 ads using Studio Layouts. Today, we’ll discuss the various types of engaging ad units you can build with Studio Layouts.

While we recommend that you use Studio Layouts to build out your long-tail of ad units for your display campaign, that doesn’t mean that all of those units have to be bland banners. Studio Layouts offers a rich selection of IAB rising star and Engagement ad formats, and while they may not be the highly customized units that you use to sell ideas into your clients, these formats still let you make your creative ideas shine through interactive units that engage viewers.

LG livestreams using a Layout.
Take LG as an example -- in late 2013, LG faced the impending product launch of their new G2 smartphone, and they needed to convince a huge, global audience of the benefits of the device. Their launch centered around the unveiling of their phone at a big event in New York City, but they wanted to reach even more viewers who couldn’t attend in person. 

According to Danny Kim, Digital Marketing Manager with LG Mobile Communications in Seoul, Korea, “The launch campaign was focused on product awareness and branding. So the most important metrics were impressions, reach, and engagement.”

To achieve these goals, LG’s creative team used Studio Layouts to build a Lightbox Engagement ad unit that could livestream the video from their event across the web. By syndicating their video content through the live-stream, LG received “almost 10 million playbacks during the live-streamed show, which is a huge number for a product launch...the results were a pleasant surprise,” says Kim.

Additionally, by using Studio Layouts to build this ad, LG was able to complete the development process in record time. The QA process was accomplished in six hours and the tags trafficked in less than one day. Without Layouts, this process could take multiple days to complete, so using the Layouts template cut the turnaround time by more than 80%. 

What cool formats are available?
Studio Layouts currently offers six different formats of Lightbox Engagement ads, including Featured video and video gallery, as well as a masthead version of the image gallery, carousel and background masthead. (Engagement ads are Google Display Network’s proprietary ad format that measures user engagement via a required 2-second hover before the ad expands.) 

You can also build full YouTube Mastheads with Studio Layouts; we’ve turned our most common YouTube Masthead formats - Background, Carousel, Featured Video, and Image Gallery -- into Layouts so that you can easily create these units without the long review timelines that often accompany hand-coded YouTube Mastheads. 

To get started with Layouts, simply click on the Layouts tab in the top-level navigation bar in your DoubleClick Studio account. Learn more>>

Posted by Becky Chappell, DoubleClick Product Marketing

The Layouts Series 2.0 – Mobile, made accessible: Bask Digital creates HTML5 ads in minutes instead of hours



Yesterday we explained how you can use Studio Layouts to open up more time in your project schedule for the brainstorming and creative ideation for your campaigns. Today, we’ll specifically take a look at a customer who used Studio Layouts to gain access to HTML5 creative. 

Bask Digital discovers HTML5 Layouts
HTML5 ads can be tricky to build, but HTML5 Studio Layouts let you take the same assets from your flash ads, plug them into the HTML5 Layout, and create HTML5 ads in minutes. For Bask Digital, a California-based web and social media shop for political campaigns, this ease-of-use enabled them to incorporate HTML5 ads into their campaigns for the first time at a large scale.

Previously, managing partner Jonas Kleiner used to spend hours creating HTML5 ads from scratch, compressing videos and tinkering with the code. The whole process was very complex and the steep learning curve meant that training his design team to code HTML5 ads was not a realistic option.

Once Kleiner learned about Studio Layouts, he found that he and his team were able to build HTML5 ads in 15-30 minutes, compared to the hours it used to take them to hand code everything. 

“We just have to create a background image, embed a YouTube video, and it’s done. And then we have all the tracking and tabbing available, just like with other Doubleclick Rich Media ads,” says Kleiner. “HTML5 Layouts brings the campaign down to the core of design. Rather than using effects, you need to create a really good image, and then use the power of good graphic design to drive eyeballs.” 

Using Studio Layouts, Kleiner and his team at BASK have been able to incorporate HTML5 into their campaigns, where it otherwise would not have been feasible. 

What HTML5 Studio Layouts are available?
There are currently nine different HTML5 formats available in Studio Layouts, including 3D image gallery, scroll box, slideshow, swipe gallery, video and image gallery, GDN Lightbox Featured Video, YouTube video wall and a featured video format. You can view demos of all of these formats here. 

In the near future, we’ll be launching our first in-app Layouts (HTML5 ad units that can work within mobile and tablet applications) as well as additional HTML5 formats for mobile web. 

To get started with Layouts, simply click on the Layouts tab in the top-level navigation bar in your DoubleClick Studio account. Learn more>>

Posted by Becky Chappell, DoubleClick Product Marketing

The Layouts Series 2.0 – Making time for innovation: How to spend more time brainstorming your creative idea


We began “The Layout Series” in Aug. 2013 with the initial launch of DoubleClick Studio Layouts. This week, we’ll continue the theme with “The Layouts Series 2.0,” providing updates about the product and why it matters to you.

We have never talked to a creative who doesn’t want more time to brainstorm and innovate. The quick turnarounds for digital campaigns mean that you already have limited time to get your big ideas on paper. But your brainstorming time is also eaten up by the time it takes to build all the supplemental ad units needed to flesh out a campaign.

Today, your project timeline might look something like this:










When half of the project timeline has to be devoted to building out all the ads to match the media buy, your brainstorming and design time gets cornered into shorter periods at the beginning of the project.

We built DoubleClick Studio Layouts with this reality in mind. Studio Layouts help creative agencies and production shops condense the time it takes to build out that long-tail of standard units for a campaign, so that you have more time to come up with a great idea at the outset of the project. 

With Studio Layouts, your project timelines can now look more like this:











If you can build the long-tail of your ad units in half the time, you can make space at the beginning of the project for more brainstorming and design time, giving you the chance to come up with really innovative ideas. 

Once you’ve built your “big, bad” creative units and sold your idea into your client, take the creative assets from those primary units, upload them to the Studio Layouts filler tool, preview and publish. Instead of spending an hour or two hand-coding each additional ad unit, select from one of 21 different formats (26 different sizes) and build each ad in 5-10 minutes. 

Example media spec sheet:
















Studio Layouts can save you 75% of your production time, because it’s easy to build out all the additional units you need to complete your campaign. Plus, because all the trafficking and reporting tags are baked in to each Layout, there are fewer areas where things can break, so your ads should go through QA much faster.

Use Studio Layouts to give yourself the space to innovate for your digital campaigns, by becoming more efficient with your ad production on the backend of your project. 

You can get started using Studio Layouts today - check out the Layouts tab in the top navigation bar of your DoubleClick Studio account. Learn more >> 

Posted by Becky Chappell, DoubleClick Product Marketing

DoubleClick Studio Certification Program Updates


At the beginning of March, we announced a month-long campaign to revamp our DoubleClick Studio Certification program. Over the course of the month, we have released new resources to better communicate the benefits of being a Studio Certified user, and new badges to help you develop a diverse set of skills.

Our new certification resources - by the numbers:
  • 1 new landing page on the Rich Media Gallery 
  • 2 new one-sheeters for creative and media agencies*
  • 5 new case studies featuring studio certified creative agencies*
  • 12 tips and tricks, available via our Certification Poster 
    • EX: Did you know certified users now have access to Live DoubleClick Chat Support?

The new certification badges include:
  • Engagement Ads badge: This badge lets you prove your expertise building Google Display Network Engagement Ad formats.
  • Updated QA badge: The updated badge includes comprehensive testing for Flash, HTML5, and dynamic creatives. 
    • Note: If you took the QA Certification exam before March 13th, 2014, you'll need to get re-certified with the new QA badge by July 1st, 2014.
Media agencies -- if you're looking for a creative agency that knows the in's and out's of the DoubleClick product, you can find them on our Certified Partner list. 

Creative Agencies -- even if you're already certified in our core badges, you can continue to develop your skills in more complex areas, such as dynamic creative, the YouTube Masthead and VPAID. So keep building your expertise and get certified today.

Posted by Becky Chappell, DoubleClick Product Marketing 

*available in the resources section of the new Certification landing page

Merge the art and science of brand advertising by learning to build Engagement Ads

Studio Certified developers, do you want to tell the world that you can create innovative ads designed for users to connect with brands? With DoubleClick Studio’s Engagement Ads Certification, you can get certified in building ads that marry the art of brand building with the science of performance display.

Engagement Ads are tuned to user engagement – not clicks, letting brands connect with users through multiple creative formats. Ads are available on a cost-per-engagement (CPE) basis, allowing advertisers to bid and pay only for user engagement.

Watch this video:


Engagement Ads fit in standard display units, allowing them to scale across the web and then expand to a larger format after an innovative two-second hover delay. This delay eliminates nearly all accidental expansions, providing a better user experience and more accurate reporting to advertisers.

With this flexibility, the richness of a campaign using Engagement Ads depends on the story the brand wants to tell and the type of content they want to promote. Creatives can range from rich, interactive videos built in DoubleClick Studio to immersive brand experiences using HTML5, CSS3, and WebGL – all without leaving the ad format on the publisher’s website.

Check out an Engagement Ad format in action.

Engagement Ads badge certification gives you:
  • A badge that identifies you as a Studio Certified user able to create Engagement format ads
  • Promotion as a via DoubleClick Rich Media properties and associated sites
You also receive the benefits of the Studio Certification Program, including exclusive access to betas and product features, DoubleClick hosted events and workshops, and a badge you can use for self-promotion.


Pass the exam and get the badge to demonstrate your expertise in creating rich ads to boost user engagement. Take the Engagement Ads exam and get certified.

Note: You must be Studio Certified in Core Flash or HTML5 to take the Engagement Ads certification exam.

Not Studio Certified? No worries! Get Certified today. We have these Studio Certification badges available:
  1. Core Studio Certification exam for Flash and HTML5 developers
  2. Integrated QA Certification
  3. Advanced Badge Certification for Dynamic creatives, VPAID creatives, and YouTube mastheads
    Learn more about Studio Certification in the Rich Media Gallery.

    Posted by Paige Birnbaum, Program Manager, DoubleClick Studio Certification

    Build your expertise. Get Studio Certified.


    As an industry, we know that getting in front of the right user is just half the story. A campaign’s creative is a critical component that can make or break campaign success. And as the people who design and develop that creative message, creative agencies need to be experts at their craft, with a deep understanding of the tools of their trade and the ability to promote that expertise across the complicated ecosystem of players that compose the advertising landscape. 

    Here at DoubleClick, we recognize this need and have spent the past year and a half developing a robust training and certification program for our creative agency partners. By becoming a DoubleClick Studio and QA Certified Partner -- a “Jedi” so to speak -- you put yourself in the driver’s seat to build creative faster, with fewer issues, and ship it on your own timeline. 

    Our DoubleClick Studio Training and Certification program enables you to:
    • Work more efficiently by taking control of your turnaround times 
    • Build your expertise in the Studio product and keep your skills fresh 
    • Promote your expertise as a Certified Partner to prove you’re the best for the job 
    Over a thousand people in the creative industry have already become Certified Partners, representing individuals and agencies across the globe, and every day we're adding more. Here are five of them to tell you a bit about their experience: 



    Beyond the core Studio and QA certifications, you can hone your skills further and demonstrate your “specialist” abilities with additional badges, including Dynamic, Masthead, and VPAID badges. These advanced certifications can help you create innovative, out-of-the-box approaches to digital creative that can set you apart from the crowd. 

    Ready to get started? 
    Visit the Studio Certification page. You can take all of our exams through this portal. Each exam takes ~1-2 hours to complete and has accompanying training materials to help you if you get stuck. 

    Still unsure? 
    Every day for the month of March, we’ll provide tips, fun facts and case studies about DoubleClick Studio and the Studio Certification program. Check back here each day for a new, unlocked Tip of the Day. Today’s tip features Tom Miller, Founder and Owner of Creative Ocean, sharing his experience with Studio Certification. 

    Posted by Becky Chappell, Product Marketing, DoubleClick

    MRAID Beta Program: Bringing scale to mobile rich media through in-app advertising


    Are you an advertiser or agency running mobile in-app ads or are you interested in testing out in-app formats? 

    We’re looking for advertisers or agencies willing to participate in an MRAID beta program, to run campaigns with impression volume against our tested networks and verify that the reporting and metrics are tracking properly. 

    In exchange for helping us test out the metrics, we’ll wave rich media ad serving fees for the duration of the beta. (Note: we may see significant reporting discrepancies during this beta period.)

    Requirements to participate in the beta:
    • Have our “Beta Feature” language in the Advertising Platform Agreement (APA) or have a separate Beta Feature Agreement 
    • Deliver HTML5 creative assets to DoubleClick
    • Run media with an MRAID compliant publisher or platform that has been tested by DoubleClick. (e.g. Greystripe, Millennial, Jumptap, New York Times, Mojiva, InMobi, AdMarvel). 
      • Be sure to ask your sales representative for an updated list of compliant publishers.
      • Don't see your desired publisher on the list? Point them to our DFA publisher certification so you can run in-app ads on their network or application. 
    If you are interested in taking part in this beta program, please contact your DoubleClick Sales Representative.

    -----------------------
    Background on MRAID:

    Mobile rich media advertising has historically been difficult for agencies and publishers to execute on a large scale because every publisher has maintained different standards and specs for mobile ads. With so many different standards, an agency would have to create many ads, each tailored to individual publishers -- a very manual and unscalable process. 

    To help make mobile rich media execution more scalable, the IAB developed the Mobile Rich Media Ad Interface Definitions (MRAID), which provide a standard for mobile rich media ads, so that all publishers can accept the same ad type (and agencies can build one ad to work across all the publishers.) 

    DoubleClick Rich Media and Studio is MRAID compliant, meaning agencies that use DoubleClick have the ability to serve MRAID creatives to in-app inventory offered by publishers and mobile ad networks. We have already been working with a number of publishers, confirming their ability to support our test tags. Now, we need to run live campaigns with impression volume against these tested networks, to verify that metrics are tracking properly. This is the goal of the beta program.

    Making creative more intelligent


    Your media plan is only as good as your creative message. Once you reach the right people, are you telling them something they actually want to hear?
    - Pete Crofut, Creative Platforms Evangelist, Google

    For the past six months, we’ve partnered with iMedia Connection on a series of articles that explore modern storytelling and the ways that new digital technologies are making ad creative more intelligent. We laid out the challenges advertisers face, examined engaging and data-infused creative examples, and discussed how to make these ads captivating across screens, measurable and scalable. 

    Today, we conclude this series with a final article, “Technology makes creative more intelligent,” which provides new creative examples and explains how the creative imperative fits into Google’s broader perspective on the "what,” "why" and "how" of modern brand building (entitled the Engagement Project.)

    The tools and technology are available to help make your stories come to life online. Now’s the time to embrace the opportunity and think about your creative from a cross-screen, digital-first perspective, to craft messages that will engage people wherever they are. 

    Posted by Becky Chappell, DoubleClick Marketing

    DoubleClick Rich Media Hangout Series: Lessons from our Customers, featuring Project C


    In the motion picture industry, you live or die by your movie trailer and your pre-launch advertising. With all the action-packed creative and large-scale campaigns competing in the same space, it’s quite a task to make innovative and attention-grabbing advertisements. Yet creative agency Project C embraces the challenge.

    For our third installment in our DoubleClick Rich Media Hangout Series, “Lessons from our Customers”, we’ll be interviewing Project C, next Wednesday, 12/18 @ 2pm ET.

    Joey Barrus, Director of Ad Media, Matthew Jordan, Director of Strategy and Production, and Jennifer Christiano, Project C Producer, will chat with Jeff Sundheim, DoubleClick Creative Account Executive, to discuss how they come up with the next big idea for their entertainment clients.

    They’ll walk us through how they built the ad creatives for the major motion picture releases Thor, Despicable Me 2, and Anna Karenina, and which tools they used to make the creative come to life. Plus, they may even divulge some stories of Hollywood’s behind-the-scenes antics.

    Join us next Wednesday, Dec. 18th @ 2:30pm ET / 11:30am PT.
    RSVP for the hangout here.

    If, like the rest of us, you’re just counting down the hours until you can leave for Christmas break, here’s some fodder to help you pass the time: Part one and two of our hangout series.

    We hope you’ll join us!