Banner Campaign Guidelines

The Two Formats

A banner campaign on Hospitality Net consists of two creatives running side by side. The leaderboard image ad sits at the top of pages, offering a wide horizontal canvas for visuals and brand messaging. The text ad blends into content lists, presenting your message in a quieter, more editorial format. Both formats are part of every campaign. You provide the creative for each, and we handle the placement.

The leaderboard rotates among a maximum of three concurrent advertisers at a time. The text ad rotates among a maximum of eight. Either creative can be refreshed once per month.

Leaderboard Image Ad Specs

The leaderboard banner runs in two versions, one for desktop and one for mobile. Both are required. We will not run the campaign with only one of the two.

• Desktop image: 1456 × 180 pixels
• Mobile image: 640 × 200 pixels
• File types: JPG or PNG
• Animation: not supported. Static images only.
• Click-through URL: required, with tracking parameters included

Keep the file size reasonable. A few hundred kilobytes is plenty. Heavy files slow down page loads and hurt the experience for everyone.

Text Ad Specs

The text ad appears in content lists across the site, formatted to look at home alongside editorial entries. It is intentionally subtle. The format rewards clarity over cleverness.

• Tag (max 2 words, 20 characters): a short label, usually a product name, content type, or campaign theme
• Title (max 40 characters): the headline, action-led or benefit-led
• Text (max 125 characters): one sentence describing what readers will get if they click
• Target URL: required, with tracking parameters included
• Favicon: a small icon (16 × 16 pixels) representing your brand or website. Most companies already have one in use.

UTM Tracking and Performance

Hospitality Net does not provide impression or click reporting for banner campaigns. Performance measurement is handled on your side through UTM parameters in the destination URL.

Include UTM tags in every click-through URL so the traffic shows up cleanly in your analytics. A typical format works well: ?utm_source=hospitalitynet&utm_medium=banner&utm_campaign=<campaign-name>. Use a campaign name that is short and identifiable, so you can compare performance across placements at a glance.

Prohibited Content

Hospitality Net does not run banners containing the following content. The list applies to both the creative itself and the destination URL.

Illegal or harmful

• Hate speech, defamation, or content that targets individuals or groups
• Tobacco, illegal drugs, or illegal pharmaceuticals
• Explosives, weapons, or content promoting violence
• Animal cruelty
• Content enabling or encouraging illegal activity

Sexual or shocking

• Nudity, pornography, or sexual content
• Profanity or morally reprehensible material
• Shocking, graphic, or sensational content

Deceptive or misleading

• Misleading claims, fake hyperlinks, or fake interactivity
• Content resembling system dialogue boxes (Windows, macOS, Unix)
• Fake "free gift" offers, deceptive quizzes or surveys
• Content that misrepresents what readers will see after clicking
• Counterfeit goods or trademark and copyright violations

Technically harmful

• Malware, spyware, auto-downloads, or auto-redirects
• Content that interferes with site navigation or other ads
• Auto-playing audio or video

Sensitive or exploitative

• Content targeting users based on sensitive personal characteristics
• Material designed to embarrass, discriminate, or cause legal impact
• Content tied to sensitive current events in an exploitative way

If you are unsure whether something falls into one of these categories, ask before submitting. We would rather have the conversation up front than reject a creative late in the process.

Refreshing Your Creative

Banner creatives can be updated once per month. If you want to test a new headline, swap in a seasonal message, or rotate through different value propositions over the course of a campaign, the monthly refresh window gives you that flexibility.

Send replacement creatives at least a few business days before you want them live, so we have time to review and schedule the swap.