More than 80% of the 25 Largest U.S. Advertisers Have Already Used These Cutting-Edge Digital Video Ad Formats To Drive Consumer Reach and Engagement
NEW YORK – To further propel growth in the digital video advertising marketplace, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released the IAB Digital Video Rising Stars ad unit style guide and technical specifications for public comment. These units are part of the broader IAB Rising Stars initiative, which seeks to create new canvasses for brand advertising on digital platforms, including display and mobile ad, in order to increase interactive’s market share among brand marketers. As with the other Rising Stars, these digital video ad formats were part of an industry-wide competition and a cross-disciplinary group ultimately chose the winning concepts. The five units selected are:
“Each of these cutting-edge video units offers the type of enhanced interactivity that advertisers covet, and offers an unrivaled experience for the viewer. That combination is clearly aligned with brand marketers’ objectives.”
| IAB Digital Video Rising Stars | Description | Why Selected | ||||||
| Ad Control Bar | Permits viewers to engage in multiple ways through an elegant interface that sits just above the player controls | Allows any ad to be interactive without affecting video ad content | ||||||
| Extender | Allows the viewer to choose to continue screening ad content | Provides opportunity for deep video engagement, with permission | ||||||
| Filmstrip | Invites the viewer to scroll through a multipanel, horizontal unit, much like “The Filmstrip” Display and Mobile Rising Stars Standard Ad Units | Enables rich engagement, delivered in page, with users fully in control | ||||||
| Full Screen | Enables the viewer to interact and then fills player with a full canvas of engagement possibilities, such as video and social | Allows for an immersive, in-page ad experience, with users in control | ||||||
| TimeSync | Displays rich ad content overlaid on video, changing in sync with the ad’s content | Targets and invites interaction at the most appropriate moments | ||||||
The winning concepts were released at the IAB Annual Leadership Meeting on February 25, 2013. Since then, the 12 winning companies – CBS Interactive, Celtra, DG MediaMind, DoubleClick, Innovid, Jivox, Microsoft Advertising, Mixpo, Spongecell, Tremor Video, Yahoo! and YuMe – collaborated within working groups to create consistent implementation for each of the five Digital Video Rising Stars through a style guide and technical specifications.
With these consensus style and technical guidelines just hitting the marketplace for public comment, the Digital Rising Stars have already been leveraged by 21 of the top 25 brand advertisers in the U.S., including AT&T, Budweiser, Chevrolet, Citi, Ford, Geico, Home Depot, Honda, JCPenney, L’Oreal Paris, Macy’s, McDonald’s, Microsoft, Nissan, Samsung, Sprint, Subway, Target, Toyota, T-Mobile, and Verizon. Multitudes of other major brands have also utilized the Digital Video Rising Stars to take advantage of their strong engagement, branding and interactive capabilities.
“The Digital Video Rising Stars deliver the holy grail of sight, sound and motion within interactivity,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB. “The fact that major brand advertisers are already on board speaks volumes about the potential of these ad formats to thrust digital video forward.”
“The majority of digital video advertising today is straight video without an interactive component, which, in many cases, is like clapping with one hand,” said James O’Neill, VP of Interactive Media at RJ Palmer. “Creating standards for adding interactivity to digital video will enable advertisers harness the full power of this growing digital medium.”
“We’re just now entering the public comment period for the style guide and specs, and already we’re seeing that 21 of the top 25 advertisers in the country are using Digital Video Rising Stars,” said Peter Minnium, Head of Brand Initiatives, IAB. “Each of these cutting-edge video units offers the type of enhanced interactivity that advertisers covet, and offers an unrivaled experience for the viewer. That combination is clearly aligned with brand marketers’ objectives.”
Members of the industry (advertising agencies, brands, digital publishers and technology vendors) are encouraged to submit their comments about the Digital Video Rising Stars’ style guide and technical specifications via email to Risingstars@iab.net. The deadline for public comment is October 24, 2013. After the 30-day comment period closes, the feedback will be reviewed by the Digital Video Risings Stars Working Group and the formats will be finalized.
The style guide and specifications were released at the annual IAB MIXX Conference & Expo in New York. To review both, and to get even more information about the IAB Digital Video Rising Stars, go to iab.net/digitalvideorisingstars.
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 visit iab.net.
