Fastclick introduces Text Ads

Just got an email - more details on site

[kpaul]

Looks like they'll be CPM but customizable.

Starting May 2. They say check the site for more details, but I haven't found any other info yet...

edit: ok, if you log out, click on publishers, then click on ad formats, you can see what they'll look like. they look a lot like adsense ads to me.

this is from their site:

Publishers may display Text Ads with customized dimensions and colors to help integrate the ads with site their design.

Advertiser Specs
Text Ads are made up of four pieces:

Headline: 25 characters maximum
Description Lines: Two lines; 35 characters maximum per line
Display URL: 35 characters maximum
Destination URL (hidden): 255 characters

Publisher Specs
Publishers can choose to display a maximum of seven Text Ads
Customizable shapes and sizes
Text Ads can be stand-alone or bordered
Background color can be set to match the color of your site
Arial font

[cyberair]

Question:

Can they be placed next to Adsense ads, like Adbrite?

[kpaul]

i don't know. jenstar might have an idea. i might say no because they're not contextual, but i'm not 100% sure...

[janethuggard]

I didn't get that email. But, that explains where the text ads were coming from a couple days ago.

My impression of things, is you can not display Adbrite, Brightads, or now the Fastclick text ads on any page with Adsense. It doesn't matter what these three tell you. I believe the policy at Adsense is, it is not permitted.

Looks like a big expansion in contexuals around the web.

[kpaul]

that's the thing. i don't think these are contextual.

there was a big discussion here at WebmasterWorld about it a while back. i think googleguy might've been involved too if i remember correctly.

i would email goog and ask, tho...

anyone else remember that thread?

[Pedent]

There seem to be two issues that come up with competing ads:

(1) Are they contextual (in a similar sense to AdSense).

(2) Do they imitate the look and feel of AdSense ads (or might they be mistaken for them).

Any ads deemed competing by criterion (2) will probably be judged to violate AdSense TOS irrespective of criterion (1).