Metro Creative Connection

About Metro interactive Ad Designer (MiAD)

Getting Started With MiAD


Set up a brief training webinar for MiAD by calling our Client Services Team at 800-223-1600!

MiAD is an extremely valuable and user-friendly online tool for producing multiple ads with limited time and resources, and it’s fun to use, too.

To get off to a running start with MiAD, we highly suggest you watch the tutorial video (see link on this page) so you can instantly see how easy and beneficial MiAD will be for you. After watching the demo, keep the following step-by-step guide to reference, and feel free to share it with others on your team.

  • 1. Go to www.metrocreativeconnection.com and click on the MiAD login button. Make sure to allow for pop-ups and Flash.
  • 2. Enter your Username and Password (same as for MetroCreativeConnection [MCC]).
  • Three panels will appear: The left panel is your search/content panel; the center panel is your work/preview area; and the right panel is your ad editing area.
  • 3. In the white keyword box at the top of the left panel, enter the filename of the ad you would like, or a keyword denoting the type of ad you are looking for (ie: auto).
  • 4. Click the Search button to the right of the keyword bar to begin your search. The available ads will appear under the Ad Templates tab (the left search/content panel).
  • 5. Select your ad by double clicking on it, or by dragging it over to the center white panel (your work/preview area).
  • 6. In the center panel, click on Output Options so that you can see the actual size of the spec ad to determine if it is close to the size you need. If not, you can change the size of the ad, as long as it is within reason, so that it meets your column width specifications. In this same area you’ll see other key specs you can set for your ad’s output.
  • 7. The Spec Ad box is checked by default to keep the generic ad copy and images for presentation. This is located in the center panel next to the Refresh button. 
  • 8. Now you can begin personalizing the ad under the Advertiser Information tab by clicking on that tab (located in the right editing panel). Under the Advertiser Information tab you are able to enter the Company Name, Address, Phone and Web Address. You can also upload a Company Logo (name) as art. Just click upload and locate the logo file on your computer.
  • 9. If you would like to change the ad content (copy or images), select the Ad Content tab and make all necessary changes.
  • 10. Next, click the Refresh button located on top of the center panel. This will give you a preview of your current ad with the changes you have made.
  • 11. If you like what you see, it is now time to save, get a print preview or download the ad. These function buttons are located in the far right on top of the right panel.
  • 12. Once you name the ad and save it, the ad will be saved under the My Ads tab located above the left panel, where you can view all of your saved ads. If you would like to just print the ad, click the PDF Preview button and it will display a low-res PDF on your screen for you to print. Or, you can download the hi-res PDF to print or e-mail.

All ads will appear in color. If you need a black and white ad, before you select Preview, click on the Output Options tab in the center panel and select grayscale. Selecting grayscale here will only affect the current ad.

When you are choosing a second ad to work on, once you select or drag the ad into the center panel, a dialog box will appear to give you choices of using the same advertiser information you entered or to start fresh.

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