We all know the power of personal recommendations. With Google +1, people can let their friends know about stuff they like on the web — and that can include your ads. Using the Flash with Google +1 custom creative template, you can add the Google +1 icon to your ads so that people can share your advertisers' offers with people across the web.
How it works
When somone +1's one of your ads, that person is actually adding a +1 to a webpage that you choose. Some people share their Google +1 recommendations with their friends on their Google+ profiles and in Google search results. By default, the Flash with Google +1 template lets you choose a custom URL for the user to +1, but it's recommended that you choose the final destination page of the ad.
Best practices
When choosing the URL, whether it's the click-through URL or a different URL, here are some best practices:
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Set the +1 URL to a sensible destination page. Some click-through URLs are redirects to verification or analytics services or other websites that aren't the user's final destination.
People who +1 your ad probably don't want to find a redirect service in their list of recommendations. If you use redirects, it's best to set the +1 URL to the actual destination page where the user arrives after clicking on the ad.
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Make sure the URL is for a website that's closely related to the ad. For example, if your ad is for a discount offer, you might want to choose a URL for a webpage about that offer, rather than just the URL of your advertiser's homepage.
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If the ad has rich or entertaining content that you think people will want to share, make sure users can find that content on the +1 webpage.
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Avoid misleading +1's. For example, if your ad is for a new Android app, it would be misleading to direct the ad's +1's to a website that sells cell phones and doesn't mention the app.
Add a creative with the Google +1 Icon
To add a creative that includes the Google +1 icon:
- Starting from a line item, click Add creatives > new creative.
- Under Custom template, type "Flash with Google +1", and click continue.
- In the new creative, upload your SWF File and Backup Image.
- Complete the other fields, then save the creative.
Fields in the Flash with Google +1 template
The fields in the Flash with Google +1 template are divided into two sections:
- Standard Flash fields are similar to those found in Flash creatives and other templates.
- Google +1 fields tell us how to display the Google +1 icon in your creative.
Standard fields
The standard fields in the Flash with Google +1 template should be familiar to you if you're used to working with Flash creatives. If not, don't worry about all the confusing terms. In most cases, you can use default values for the more advanced fields or leave them blank.
Flash SWF file: Select the SWF file that you uploaded.
Backup image file: Select the backup image that you uploaded, which is served to users who can't view the Flash file. Or, enter a URL where the image file is hosted.
Click-through URL: Use either the default value of %%DEST_URL%% or the default value of %%u%% to use the click-through URL set for this creative in each line item, or enter a custom click-through URL.
Required Flash version: The minimum version of Flash that must be detected in a user's browser in order for DFP to serve the Flash assets you have uploaded. If the user does not have the version of Flash listed or a more recent version, the Image File is served.
Window mode: Set the window mode for the Flash file. Choose:
- opaque to hide all elements behind the Flash file.
- window to run the Flash file in its own rectangular window within the webpage. This is the default window mode and usually provides the fastest performance.
- transparent to display the webpage elements underneath transparent sections of the Flash file.
Width
Height
Google +1 fields
These fields tell DFP how to display the Google +1 icon in your creative.
+1 URL: The URL that will actually receive the +1 when a user clicks the icon. Use the default value of %%DEST_URL%% to use the click-through URL set for this creative in each line item, or enter a custom URL that will override any line item-level settings. See the best practices at the top of this article for more details.
Button position: Choose which corner of your creative to display the Google +1 icon in.
Button size: Choose the size of the button. Options are:
- Standard (24px)
- Small (15px)
- Medium (20px)
- Tall (60px)* You should only use the tall button on a skyscraper type ad unit.
Annotation: Choose how you want the +1 button to be annotated:
- Inline: Show the count of users who have +1'd the URL + the pictures of the user's friends who have done so.
- Bubble: Show a count of users who have +1'd the URL.
- None: No annotation.
Auto-disappear: Choose whether to fade out the Google +1 icon after 10 seconds. You might want to let it fade so that your creative can be fully displayed without any overlay.