The IAB Issues Ad Campaign Measurement Process Guidelines for Public Comment

What seemed to be a slow news Friday (I haven’t had anything prepared to post today!) turns out quite different. The IAB has yet another release of the ad campaign measurement guidelines, Aegis acquired a SEM firm (the umptieth acquisition this year) and I am supposed to figure out why some people arrived on this site searching for “the simpsons game adverts” 😀 Let’s take them one by one… more posts to follow.

NEW YORK, NY (July 24, 2008)—The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB ) today announced the public comment release of “Ad Campaign Measurement Process Guidelines,” a document that addresses the process of a publisher’s or advertising agency’s use of a third-party ad server and its application service provider. The guidelines supplement current measurement guidelines and provide definitions and guidance on the auditing of processes used in the placement, trafficking and reporting of interactive advertising. The document is the result of a consensus of participating auditing organizations and the IAB.

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This document will:

• Help the IAB, publishers and ad agencies further establish transparency and consistency in the area of ad measurement through certification by having all phases of ad serving put through a technology, process and data audit

• Provide a Self-Assessment Questionnaire that allows publishers, third-party ad servers and agencies to perform a self-assessment of their compliance using controls outlined in the document and meant to help the industry reduce discrepancies.

“As an industry, we are providing marketers with the most powerful, accountable and cost effective way to reach consumers,” said Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the IAB. “To continue to deliver on this promise, we must establish methods that reduce discrepancies in the buying process of interactive advertising—we’ve made great strides by bringing these guidelines to fruition.”

“The IAB’s work both with its members and the auditing organizations in completing this document is a critical step in solving the ongoing challenges of media measurement discrepancies,” said George Ivie, President of the Media Rating Council. “Our research has found that human error plays a material role in large impression discrepancies and these guidelines, when followed, will assist in reducing those errors and improve overall efficiencies in the measurement process.”

After the 30-day comment period, ending on September 10, the feedback will be reviewed and the guidelines will be finalized and publicly released.

To review the complete document, please go to, www.iab.net/campaign_measurement_process

About the IAB:
Founded in 1996, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (www.iab.net) represents over 375 leading interactive companies that actively engage in and support the sale of interactive advertising. IAB members are responsible for selling over 86% of online advertising in the United States. On behalf of its members, the IAB is dedicated to the growth of the interactive advertising marketplace, of interactive’s share of total marketing spend, and of its members’ share of total marketing spend. The IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices, fields interactive effectiveness research, and educates marketers, agencies, and media companies, as well as the wider business community, about the value of interactive advertising.