MMA and IAB Release ‘Mobile Phone Creative Guidelines’ For Public Comment

Guidelines to Empower Creative Groups by Reducing Industry Fragmentation

NEW YORK, NY — With the rapid evolution of the mobile marketplace, there is a demand for standards and guidelines to unify the advertising industry. To expand on current industry accepted ad units, the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released “Mobile Phone Creative Guidelines” for public comment, simplifying the development of ad units across the industry.

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To maintain consistency, the “Mobile Phone Creative Guidelines” supplement the MMA’s widely adopted Universal Mobile Ad Package (UMAP v 2.0), to make buying and selling mobile ads easier and more effective. The guidelines provide additional directives necessary to empower creative shops and publishers to use mobile for more dynamic, rich consumer experiences. Additionally, it also aligns across the IAB’s “Display Advertising Guidelines.”

The “Mobile Phone Creative Guidelines” incorporates input from marketing and media authorities to establish detailed specifications for mobile phone ad units. The guidelines address smartphone and feature phone devices and are relevant for both mobile web and in-app inventory. Additionally, they include ad specifications for both basic and rich media units.

Balancing the requirements of both the marketer and the consumer experience, the guidelines address varying factors such as different data connections (WIFI, 3G, 4G, etc.), carrier plans, Z-Index range and even the impact of the reduced processing power inherent in mobile device for file load size and web display.

Critical elements in the “Mobile Phone Creative Guidelines” include:

  • Creative unit name
  • Maximum expanded dimensions
  • Maximum initial file load size
  • Submission lead-time
  • Implementation notes and best practice
  • Supported creative types

“IAB members have long requested that we integrate mobile into our ‘Display Advertising Guidelines’,” said Anna Bager, Vice President and General Manager, Mobile Marketing Center of Excellence, IAB. “With these new guidelines we’re giving marketers a direct pathway to consistently creating mobile ads that can produce strong results. This is the type of vital joint industry effort that is sure to drive mobile’s future growth.”

“With mobile in constant state of evolution and iteration, it is imperative that we provide clarity on how to effectively and strategically integrate mobile into the marketing mix,” said Michael Becker, Managing Director, MMA North America. “As marketers become ‘mobile ready’ to push mobile innovation across their brands, guidelines like these provide a path for easier adoption and more creative consumer engagement. With greater uniformity and direction, mobile will continue to develop as the most powerful and pervasive channel for marketers worldwide.”

To review a copy of the public comment version of the guidelines, please visit http://www.mmaglobal.com/mobile-creative-guidelines or http://www.iab.net/mobileguidelines.

The deadline for public comment is February 25, 2013. Once the public comment period closes, the IAB and MMA will meet to evaluate comments, make any needed changes, and release a final version. Comments are being accepted via email tocomments@mmaglobal.com and mobile@iab.net.

About the Mobile Marketing Association (MMA)
The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) is the premier global non-profit trade association established to lead the growth of mobile marketing and its associated technologies. The MMA is an action-oriented organization designed to clear obstacles to market development, establish mobile media guidelines and best practices for sustainable growth, and evangelize the use of the mobile channel. The more than 700 member companies, representing nearly fifty countries around the globe, include all members of the mobile media ecosystem. The Mobile Marketing Association’s global headquarters are located in the United States and it has regional chapters including North America (NA), Europe (EUR), Latin American (LATAM) and Asia Pacific (APAC) branches. For more information, please visit www.mmaglobal.com. For information relating to the MMA’s Mobile Marketing Forum series, please visit www.mobilemarketingforum.com.

About the IAB
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 500 leading media and technology companies that 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 visitwww.iab.net.