Gmail is brilliant for finding out little statistics. Using the filter “is:sent from:(befuddle@gmail.com) 88×31″ I can see that I’ve sent a staggering 136 emails asking for new creatives.

“88×31″ refers to the industry standard size 88×31pixels. This is known as a “micro bar”.
I generally only promote merchants now that have this creative. It’s an industry standard but only the Webgains affiliate network insist that merchants should include them.

It’s compact and reduces page sizes considerably as compared to its nearest size 120×60.

So what happens when I receive this creative? Well firstly it is added to the sitemap as a graphical aid to complement the text links. It is then added above-the-fold on related category pages. Finally it is added to competitor pages, so the pages are interlinked by a common theme, with rival promotions highlighted.

It is not used as a tool for visitors to link directly to the merchants site to make a purchase though I have recorded sales in this size. It is primarily used as a neat looking navigational system.