Client-provided display ad guidelines for CCMN campaigns

March 19, 2026

If you’re launching a display campaign with the Cars Commerce Media Network (CCMN), you can supply your own ad creative. This gives you full control over branding and messaging — as long as your assets meet all file type, dimension, and size requirements.

In this article, you’ll learn which creative options are supported, the exact display ad specs for on-site and off-site campaigns, and how each option impacts your campaign launch timeline.

Creative options for display campaigns

You can choose from three creative options:

Dealer-Provided Creative
- Submit your own display ads using the specs below.
- Files must meet all technical requirements — non-compliant creative will not run.
Dynamic Display Creative
- Automatically updates with your live VINs and inventory data.
- Not available for In-Market Display Tentpole campaigns.
Cars Commerce Display Templates
- Choose a pre-designed template from our creative gallery.
- Templates can be updated once per month. Custom creative is not currently supported.

Ad specifications for dealer-provided display creative

Creative specs vary depending on whether the campaign is on-site or off-site:

Dimensions (in pixels)

On-Site(Cars.com placements)	Off-Site (Third-party placements)
728×90 px	728×90 px
970×250 px	160×600 px
300×600 px	300×250 px
300×250 px	320×50 px
320×50 px

Accepted file types

On-Site: JPG, GIF, PNG, or HTML5
- HTML5 must use HTTPS and follow platform best practices
- 3rd-party tags accepted from approved vendors
Off-Site: JPG, GIF, PNG
- All off-site ads are converted to static JPG

Max File Size (On-Site)	Max File Size (Off-Site)
728×90, 970×250, 300×600, 300×250 40 KB	728×90, 160×600, 300×250 40 KB
320×50 50 KB	320×50 50 KB

Max initial file load size (HTML5, on-site only)

Ad Sizes	Max Load Size
728×90, 970×250, 300×600, 300×250	200 KB
320×50	300 KB

Note: Animations must be 15 seconds or less, with a max of 3 loops. Off-site campaigns do not support animations or HTML5 — all assets must be static.

Expected turnaround times

Campaign launch timelines vary based on your creative choice:

Dealer-provided: 4-7 business days from enrollment (provided creative)
Dynamic: 5-9 business days from enrollment
Template: 11-17 business days total (includes 7-10 days for creative development)