MAM
US watchdog regulates pop-up, pop-under ads
MUMBAI: For internet surfers, the words pop-up and pop-under ads mean sheer disturbance. They are often forced to equip their computers with pop-up killers and stuff like that. Many companies who use this mode of advertising show scant respect for the surfer.
Now, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) — the association dedicated to helping online, Interactive broadcasting, email, wireless and Interactive television media companies increase their revenues — has decided to play the watchdog and enforce certain regulations on the use of such ads.
IAB has released a set of preliminary industry guidelines for the usage of pop-ups and pop-unders. “These guidelines are geared to help improve the consumer perception of pop-ups by applying consistency in their use, specifications and labeling. Furthermore, these guidelines provide advertisers and their agencies the ability to develop advertising content with consistency through uniform specifications. The purpose of this set of guidelines is to improve consumer credibility with interactive advertising and to lend efficiency to online ad creation and buying,” reads the statement in the IAB web site.
The set of guidelines prepared by the IAB’s Pop-up Task Force are as follows:
Each user should be exposed to no more than one pop-up ad for each visit to an online site.
Both pop-ups and pop-unders should be clearly labeled with the name of the Network/Advertiser-Publisher-Browser Type (if applicable).
For pop-unders, the unit size should be 720×300, file weight should be 50k images/50k flash, audio-video initiation should be user-initiated and close box should be mandatory.
For pop-ups, the unit size should be 250×250 or 300×250, file weight 30k images or 40k flash, audio-video user initiated and close box mandatory.
For pop-up large, the unit size should be 550×480, file weight 30k images or 40k flash, audio-video user initiated and close box mandatory.
Brands
Thermocool rolls out Navratri campaign on trains and stations
Nine day digital push blends devotion and storytelling for travellers
NEW DELHI: Thermocool Home Appliances has launched a high-visibility digital campaign during Navratri, turning railway stations and trains into storytelling spaces that blend culture with brand engagement.
The nine-day campaign spans key high-footfall locations including Katra, Anand Vihar, Gorakhpur, Prayagraj and Moradabad, along with the Vande Bharat Express on the Delhi-Katra route. Travellers encounter the campaign across station screens, concourses and onboard infotainment systems, making it hard to miss.
What sets the initiative apart is its narrative approach. Each day of Navratri is dedicated to one of the nine forms of Goddess Durga, with digital content explaining the significance and stories behind each day. The result is a campaign that does more than advertise, it informs and engages passengers in the middle of their journeys.
For director of sales and marketing Tanuj Gupta, the idea was to go beyond visibility. He noted that while Navratri is widely celebrated, awareness of its deeper meaning is often limited, and the campaign aims to bridge that gap in a simple and accessible way.
By tapping into high-traffic transit spaces, Thermocool is placing its message where audiences naturally gather, from busy platforms to train compartments. The repeated exposure across these touchpoints is designed to build familiarity while creating a more meaningful connection with consumers.
In a season marked by devotion and festivity, the campaign finds a clever middle ground. It turns everyday travel into a cultural moment, where storytelling travels alongside the passenger.
