MultiBrain

MultiBrain General Creative Guidelines

The MultiBrain General Creative Guidelines (hereinafter referred to as "the Guidelines") are established to ensure that all advertising content created, utilized, or managed through the MultiBrain Demand-Side Platform (DSP) adheres to the highest standards of professionalism, legal compliance, ethical conduct, and platform integrity. These Guidelines are designed to be comprehensive, rigorous, consistent, and user-friendly, reflecting industry best practices within the digital advertising ecosystem.

Scope: These Guidelines apply to all advertisers, agencies, and partners utilizing the MultiBrain DSP for programmatic advertising campaigns. Adherence is mandatory for all ad creatives, landing pages, and associated digital assets distributed via the MultiBrain platform.

I. General Adherence and Principles

1. Legal and Regulatory Compliance: All advertising creatives, including their content, targeting, and associated landing pages, must strictly comply with all applicable national, international, and local laws, regulations, and industry self-regulatory codes in all jurisdictions where the advertisement is displayed. This includes, but is not limited to:

Truth-in-advertising standards (e.g., FTC Act in the US, CAP Code in the UK).

Data privacy and protection laws (e.g., GDPR, CCPA, LGPD, PIPL).

Intellectual property rights (copyright, trademark, patent, trade secrets).

Consumer protection laws.

Laws pertaining to specific regulated industries (e.g., alcohol, tobacco, gambling, pharmaceuticals, financial services).

Accessibility standards where applicable.

Platform-specific policies of publishers, ad networks, and exchanges.

2. Content Truthfulness, Accuracy, and Substantiation: Advertising content must be demonstrably truthful, accurate, clear, and unambiguous.

Prohibition of Misleading Claims: Misleading, false, deceptive, exaggerated, or unsubstantiated claims are strictly prohibited. This includes implied claims that could deceive a reasonable consumer.

Verifiability: All factual claims, performance statistics, testimonials, endorsements, and comparisons must be verifiable and substantiated with credible evidence. Advertisers must be prepared to provide such substantiation upon request.

Transparency: Any material connection between an endorser or influencer and the advertiser must be clearly and conspicuously disclosed.

3. User Experience (UX) and Respect: Creatives must prioritize a positive and respectful user experience.

Non-Deceptive Interaction: Content should not be deceptive, manipulative, or designed to trick users into clicking or engaging (e.g., mimicking system warnings, fake close buttons, misleading progress bars).

Non-Intrusive Behavior: Annoying, disruptive, or overly intrusive ad behaviors (e.g., excessive flashing, auto-redirects, forced full-screen interstitials without clear close options, ads obscuring content) should be avoided.

Relevance: Ads should aim to be relevant to the user, enhancing rather than detracting from their online experience.

4. Brand Representation and Transparency: Ads must clearly, accurately, and professionally represent the brand, product, or service being advertised.

Clear Identification: The advertiser's name or logo must be clearly and prominently visible and legible in the ad creative, allowing users to easily identify who is behind the advertisement.

Consistency: Branding elements (logo, colors, messaging) should be consistent with the advertiser's official brand identity.

5. Professionalism and Quality: All ad creatives should maintain a consistently high level of professionalism in terms of language, grammar, visual presentation, and overall production quality.

Grammar and Spelling: Ad copy must maintain professional linguistic standards, including correct grammar, proper punctuation, and culturally appropriate language.

Visual Aesthetics: Visuals should be high-quality, well-composed, and free from distortions or pixelation.

II. Content Restrictions and Prohibitions

1. Strictly Prohibited Content: The following content categories are absolutely prohibited in all advertising creatives across the MultiBrain DSP:

Illegal Activities/Products/Services: Content promoting or facilitating illegal products, services, or activities (e.g., illicit drugs, counterfeit goods, illegal weapons, human trafficking).

Deceptive/Fraudulent Content: Fake news, phishing scams, pyramid schemes, "get rich quick" schemes, miracle cures without scientific backing, or any content designed to defraud users.

Hate Speech & Discrimination: Content that promotes hate, discrimination, harassment, violence, or intolerance against any individual or group based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic.

Adult & Sexually Explicit Content: Pornography, explicit nudity, sexually suggestive content, escort services, adult dating sites (unless specifically restricted and approved for adult-only contexts with strict age gating and platform policy compliance). Content must be appropriate for a general audience.

Child Exploitation/Endangerment: Content that exploits, abuses, endangers, or inappropriately targets children. This includes content that promotes child labor, child pornography, or any illegal or harmful act involving minors.

Shocking/Gruesome/Excessively Violent Content: Content depicting graphic violence, gore, mutilation, horrific accidents, or any material that is excessively shocking, disturbing, or gratuitous.

Intellectual Property Infringement: Content that infringes upon the intellectual property rights of others, including but not limited to copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, and rights of publicity.

Malware/Spyware/Harmful Software: Content promoting, containing, or linking to malware, spyware, viruses, ransomware, phishing software, or any software designed to harm, disrupt, gain unauthorized access to, or collect data from user devices or systems.

Dangerous Products/Substances: Content promoting or facilitating the sale or use of dangerous substances (e.g., illegal drugs, drug paraphernalia), weapons (e.g., firearms, ammunition, explosives, knives designed for combat), or instructions for creating such items.

Defamation/Libel/Slander: Content that is false and damaging to the reputation of an individual, business, or organization.

Academic Dishonesty: Content that promotes or facilitates academic cheating, plagiarism, or the sale of academic papers.

Misleading Political Advertising: Political advertising that is intentionally misleading, lacks transparency regarding its funding or origin, or violates election laws (e.g., voter suppression).

Sensitive Social Issues (Offensive/Polarizing): Content related to highly debated or divisive social issues that is likely to be offensive, inflammatory, or excessively polarizing, unless handled with extreme sensitivity, factual accuracy, and explicit adherence to specific platform policies regarding political or social advocacy.

2. Restricted Content (Subject to Limitations and Scrutiny): The following content categories may be permissible but are subject to strict limitations, enhanced scrutiny, may require pre-approval from MultiBrain and/or publishers, and often necessitate specific targeting (e.g., age-gating, geo-fencing). Full compliance with all relevant laws and industry standards is mandatory.

Alcoholic Beverages: Advertising of alcoholic beverages (e.g., beer, wine, spirits) must comply with local laws (e.g., legal drinking age restrictions), industry self-regulatory codes, and platform policies regarding responsible drinking messaging.

Gambling and Gaming: Real-money gambling, online casinos, sports betting, and fantasy sports may be allowed only in jurisdictions where it is legal, with proper licensing, and adherence to responsible gambling messaging. Specific geo-targeting and age restrictions are critical.

Financial Services: Advertisements for complex financial products (e.g., loans, credit cards, cryptocurrency, investment schemes, binary options) must be highly transparent, clearly disclose all associated risks, fees, and terms, and comply with all financial regulations (e.g., consumer credit laws, financial disclosure requirements).

Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare Products, and Medical Services:

Prescription drugs may be prohibited or heavily restricted based on local laws (e.g., direct-to-consumer advertising rules).

Over-the-counter drugs, medical devices, and healthcare services must have all claims substantiated by scientific evidence and comply with health advertising regulations. Avoid making unsubstantiated health claims or promising "guaranteed" results.

Dietary Supplements and Weight Loss Products: Claims for dietary supplements and weight loss products must be realistic, substantiated by scientific evidence, and not misleading. Avoid "before and after" images that imply extreme or unattainable results.

Sensitive Events: Content related to recent tragedies, natural disasters, or major public health crises should generally be avoided for commercial purposes or handled with the utmost care, respect, and sensitivity, without exploiting the situation.

Dating Services: May be subject to age restrictions, content limitations (e.g., no overtly sexual imagery), and clear safety disclaimers.

Religious Themes: Content that uses religious themes for advocacy or demeans any religion, religious group, or faith practice is restricted. Commercial advertising using religious themes must be respectful and not promote discrimination or hate.

Tobacco and Related Products: Advertising of tobacco products (e.g., cigarettes, cigars) and related products (e.g., e-cigarettes, vaping products, smokeless tobacco) is generally prohibited or heavily restricted, varying significantly by jurisdiction.

III. Creative Design and Technical Specifications

1. Clarity and Legibility:

Image/Video Quality: All images and videos must be high-resolution, clear, sharp, and free from blurriness, pixelation, distortion, or excessive compression artifacts. Avoid cluttered or overly busy visuals.

Text Readability: Ad copy must be easily readable against its background.

Font Size: Font sizes should be appropriate for the ad dimensions and target viewing device (e.g., mobile, desktop), ensuring legibility on various screen sizes. A minimum effective font size of 16pt (at 2x resolution for mobile) is strongly recommended.

Contrast: Text should have sufficient contrast with its background to ensure readability for all users, including those with visual impairments. Adhere to WCAG 2.1 guidelines for contrast ratios where possible.

Conciseness: Avoid excessive text. Messages should be concise, impactful, and easy to digest quickly.

Language and Grammar: Ad copy must be grammatically correct, free of misspellings, and use professional, appropriate language. Avoid excessive punctuation (e.g., multiple exclamation marks), unnecessary capitalization (e.g., all caps for entire sentences), or unconventional capitalization (e.g., CaMeL CaSe) unless it is an established part of a recognized brand identity. The language of the ad creative must generally match the language of the landing page and the targeted locale/user.

2. Branding and Logos:

The advertiser's logo or brand name must be clearly and prominently displayed, legible, and easily identifiable within the ad creative.

Logos should be high-quality and not distorted, stretched, or pixelated.

3. Call to Action (CTA):

CTAs should be clear, concise, and accurately reflect the action a user is expected to take (e.g., "Shop Now," "Learn More," "Download App," "Get a Quote").

CTAs must be functional and link to a relevant, functional, and consistent landing page.

Avoid misleading or deceptive CTAs (e.g., "You've Won!" unless it's a legitimate contest). CTA buttons should be clearly identifiable as interactive elements.

4. Animation and Video:

Animation: Animations should be smooth, purposeful, and not overly distracting or seizure-inducing. Rapid flashing, blinking, or pulsating elements are generally discouraged or strictly limited. Animation duration is often limited (e.g., typically 15-30 seconds for non-video animated banners). Loops should be limited to 3-5 times or total duration.

Video Quality: Videos must be high-resolution (e.g., 720p, 1080p minimum depending on placement) with clear visuals and audio.

Duration: Video ad lengths often have recommended or required durations (e.g., 5-30 seconds for in-stream, with longer forms up to 120 seconds or more for some outstream or rewarded video formats). Adhere to platform-specific length requirements.

Audio: Audio should be clear, of good quality, and appropriately mixed. Auto-initiated audio is generally prohibited; audio should only play upon user interaction (e.g., click, un-mute button). Captions or subtitles are highly recommended for accessibility and for users viewing without sound.

Content Focus: The most important message or brand identity should be conveyed early in the video, especially within the first 3-5 seconds.

5. Ad Borders and Distinction:

All ads must be clearly distinguishable from surrounding editorial or page content. A visible border (e.g., a 1-pixel solid gray border) is often required, particularly if the ad background is white or closely matches the page background color.

6. Mobile Static Banner Ads (Specific Dimensions and Requirements): The following are common dimensions and key requirements for static mobile banner ads. Advertisers must refer to specific platform documentation for the most current and precise specifications.

Type	Dimensions (W×H in px)	Platform	Key Requirements
Standard Banner	320×50 (2X: 640×100)	Mobile	- Static format only (no GIF/video). - Max file size: 150 KB.
Large Banner	320×100	Mobile	- RGB color mode. - White background requires 1px grey border for visibility.
MREC	300×250	Mobile/Tablet	- Text ≤20% of total area. - Include brand logo/name.
Leaderboard	728×90	Tablet/Desktop	- High-resolution (2X design required). - No compressed or blurry visuals.
Adaptive Smart Banner	Auto-width (H:50–90)	Android/iOS	- Responsive to screen size. - Avoid dynamic elements.

7. Prohibited Technical Practices:

Rigor:

Auto-downloads: Explicitly state the type of files (e.g., ".exe, .zip, .apk").

Pop-ups/Pop-unders: Clarify if this includes exit-intent pop-ups on the landing page or only those generated directly by the ad unit.

Malicious Redirects: Add "unauthorized redirects" or "back button hijacking."

Collecting user privacy without consent: Strengthen this to "Any collection of personally identifiable information (PII) must be transparent, explicitly consented to by the user, and comply with all data privacy regulations."

IV. Landing Page Requirements

1. Relevance and Consistency:

Rigor: Add "no broken links within the landing page content itself."

2. Functionality:

Completeness: Mention mobile responsiveness and loading speed (e.g., "pages should load within X seconds").

3. Content:

Rigor: Clarify "substantial content" – e.g., "more than a single image and a form; should provide detailed information about the advertised product/service."

4. Transparency:

Completeness: Specify that disclaimers should be "clearly visible without requiring scrolling" or "easily accessible via a prominent link."

Privacy Policies: Add that privacy policies must clearly state how user data is collected, used, and shared.

5. Security:

Rigor: Make HTTPS a strict requirement, not just a recommendation.

6. No Malicious Content:

Completeness: Reiterate that this includes phishing attempts.

7. Pop-ups:

Clarity: Rephrase to explicitly state "Landing page pop-ups should not interfere with user navigation or content access and must have a clear and easily accessible close button."

V. Advertiser and Campaign Specifics

1. Targeting:

Rigor: Emphasize adherence to non-discrimination laws and platform policies regarding protected categories (age, gender, religion, etc.).

2. Data Usage:

Completeness: Explicitly mention requirements for data retention and deletion policies.

3. Ad Disclosures:

Rigor: Specify placement and size requirements for disclosures (e.g., "minimum 10pt font size and clearly visible against the background").

VI. Review and Enforcement

1. Submission and Review:

Usability: Provide expected review times.

Completeness: Mention the process for appealing a rejection.

2. Compliance:

Rigor: Add that advertisers are responsible for all third-party content linked to or accessed through their ads.

3. Violations:

Consistency/Rigor: Clearly outline the escalation process for violations (e.g., first offense: warning and rejection; second offense: temporary suspension; third offense: permanent ban). Define "other penalties" (e.g., financial penalties, reporting to authorities).