IAB Launches First-Ever Tablet Task Force

Paves the Way for Advertising’s Role in Growing Consumer Device Marketplace

NEW YORK – To help create an infrastructure that would support a variety of rich new advertising opportunities for the emerging technologies of tablets and e-readers, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced it has formed the Tablet Task Force, a group comprised of senior publishing and interactive industry executives. Tablets and e-readers are the latest electronic tools that enable the new era of interactive content experiences available to consumers anytime and anywhere. The announcement was made at the IAB’s newly launched symposium, IAB Innovation Days: Content Conquers All, a two-day event that melds together IAB’s interactive and marketing content expertise with Internet Week, the annual week-long series of events spotlighting New York City’s role as a leader in the digital and media industries.

Tablet Task Force are to explore and define comprehensive best practices in the area, build an infrastructure for ongoing growth and provide guidance on the development of ad standards that enhance the lush consumer experiences that these devices promise.

“The ad market is developing for tablets and e-readers as the excitement builds for those devices,” said Bob Carrigan, CEO, IDG Communications Inc., Co-Chair of the Tablet Task Force and a member of the Executive Committee of the IAB Board of Directors. “Their growth will create new revenue for media companies, agencies and technology companies and new experiences for users.”

As part of its initial effort to provide context and information on these new platforms, the IAB’s Tablet Task Force recommends the recently released “tabvertising—iPad and other tablets: the advertising and marketing opportunities,” a preliminary overview of the tablet and e-reader consumer experience written by Jack Wallington, Head of Industry Programmes, at the IAB UK.

For more information on the Tablet Task Force, and to download “tabvertising—iPad and other tablets: the advertising and marketing opportunities,” please go to www.iab.net/tabvertising

About the IAB:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 460 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.