IAB Advances Its Commitment to Growth of Digital Video, Releases “Long Form Video Overview”

New Marketplace Tool Addresses Growing Advertising Platform

MIXX Conference & Expo 2009

NEW YORK – Long form video is forecasted to be the driving factor in the growth of digital video advertising over the next five years. Continuing its leadership role in developing standards, guidelines and best practices in the growing digital video advertising marketplace, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released “Long Form Video Overview,” the latest tool to help marketers and agencies better understand and make the most of digital video as a marketing platform. The announcement was made at the IAB’s fifth annual MIXX Conference and Expo in New York City.

Long form video, as defined by the IAB’s Digital Video Committee, is any professionally produced or user-generated video lasting longer than 10 minutes and consisting of a content arc with a beginning, middle and end.

The “Long Form Video Overview” covers:

•The current digital video ad marketplace
•Multiple forecasts for future ad revenue
•Common long form ad formats and other ad-buying opportunities
•Definitions of key terminology associated with long form video
“Broadband penetration and the convergence of the television with the PC are accelerating, making long form video advertising a strong focus for marketers,” said Jeremy Fain, Vice President of Industry Services at the IAB. “Our goal is to describe clearly the outlook and opportunities for anyone who is interested in learning more about long form video.”

“Long form video online is a natural fit for a lot of brands, not just those that do well on television,” said Geoff Coco, a Group Product Manager, Microsoft Corporation and Co-Chair of the IAB Digital Video Committee. “Long form video is close enough to the television experience that comparing its effectiveness is a no-brainer. But the future success of long form lies in giving marketers the ability to enlist viewers to engage with their brands in new and powerful ways.”

“Long Form Video Overview” is the latest addition to the IAB’s work over the past year dedicated to creating a common structure across the digital video ecosystem. The IAB’s efforts have addressed specific concerns around technology, metrics and consistent terminology. This ongoing initiative has included the release of the following documents:

•Digital Video Overview Document
•Digital Video In-Stream Ad Format Guidelines and Best Practices
•Digital Video Ad Serving Template (VAST)
•Digital Video In-Stream Ad Metrics Definitions
All of these documents can be reviewed at: http://www.iab.net/digitalvideo.

About the IAB’s Digital Video Committee:

The Digital Video Committee of the IAB is comprised of over 180 member companies actively engaged in the creation and execution of digital video advertising. One of the goals of the committee is to implement a comprehensive set of guidelines, measurement and creative options for interactive video advertising. The committee works to educate marketers and agencies on the strength of digital video as a marketing vehicle. A full list of committee member companies can be found at: http://www.iab.net/digital_video_committee.

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who are responsible for selling 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 educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City with a Public Policy office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.iab.net.