Guidelines Social Carousel + Link Ad campaigns

On this online guidelines page, you’ll find the basic rules we follow when creating all bol Retail Media Social Carousel + Link Ad campaigns.

A Social Carousel + Link Ad campaign consists of two types of creatives. A carousel is a single ad with multiple cards. During the campaign, the carousel cards rotate based on the best-performing cards, so the order of the cards may change throughout the campaign. The Link Ad is a single card created based on the carousel.

General

A Carousel Ad:

consists of a maximum of 10 cards that rotate.
allows a different product and/or lifestyle image on each card.
uses a background colour and design elements from the bol colour palette when a product image is shown.
includes the white or blue bol logo in the fixed position, centred at the bottom of the card.

A LinkAd:

contains one product or lifestyle image.
uses a background colour and design elements from the bol colour palette that match one of the carousel cards.
includes the white or blue bol logo in the fixed position, centred at the bottom of the card.
features the fixed CTA button ‘shoppen’.

A Link Ad video:

optional if a video is available.
contains one video with a product or lifestyle image.
features the fixed CTA button ‘shoppen’.

Visual material

It is important to provide sufficient visual material. Deliver at least 6 product images and at least 4 lifestyle images to give the designer enough creative freedom for the layout.

Product images

The product images for Social Carousel campaigns:

must be high resolution, at least 1080x1080 pixels.
should have a transparent or white background.
must not contain logos, watermarks, or text.
should preferably be provided in .png or .tiff format (otherwise .jpg).

Lifestyle images

The lifestyle images for Social Carousel campaigns:

must be high resolution, at least 1080x1080 pixels.
should look realistic (no stock photography).
must not contain logos, watermarks, or text.

Colour palette

For the background colour, the designer will choose from the bol colour palette. This choice is made to match the advertiser’s style and the campaign message, unless a clear preference is indicated in the briefing. The design elements will always use a different colour from the same colour family.

Colour exceptions

In some cases, it is not possible to choose a background colour. Predefined campaign executions from bol, such as the Bol 7-Daagse and Black Friday, have a fixed design with specific guidelines. For these, the colour is predetermined.

Design elements

When only product images are shown on the banner, we use category-specific design elements. These are carefully selected to match the message and/or products displayed. During holidays or special occasions, we use design elements that align with the theme.

Copy

Within bol’s brand guidelines:

copy must always be white or bol blue;
Graphik and Produkt fonts are used;
only rounded percentages are communicated.

Main message

What do you want to communicate through the Social Carrousel + Link Ad campaign? The main message should immediately capture the user’s attention, so it’s important to be clear and thorough.

The main message serves as inspiration for the copywriters, so provide detailed guidance. Copywriters will create the final copy following bol’s guidelines and style.

The main message will be translated by the copywriters into:

Primary text* (max. 125 characters)
Subtext (max. 27 characters)

*Note: URLs cannot be included in the primary text.

Unique Selling Points

For product image cards, there is space to include a USP of up to 40 characters. Please provide the (most important) USPs per product so the key features can be highlighted.

Disclaimers

The following disclaimers are always allowed:

'op de meest getoonde prijs' when mentioning discounts
Compliance rules for computer-related products
Legal disclaimers regarding health products

Note: All other disclaimers are not allowed and will be rejected.