Revised Lexicon from IAB Digital Video Committee Now Open for Public Comment
NEW YORK – The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) released an updated version, the first since 2009, of its “Digital Video In-Stream Ad Metric Definitions” for public comment. Developed by the IAB Digital Video Committee, these definitions of commonly used analytic terms provide uniform language for the serving of in-stream digital video ads. This update incorporates terminology from the IAB Digital Video Suite (VSuite), which simplifies the technical execution of video advertising and enhances digital video advertising experiences.
“These definitions bring the lexicon up to date with current video industry technology and industry usage.”
Major updates include:
- New Metrics Added
- Ad expand/collapse – Refers to ad creative expansion behavior rather than expand/collapse metrics, which refer to player behavior.
- Skip – Describes when a user intentionally skips a linear video ad by clicking a button or other control mechanism.
- Other ad interaction – Catchall for additional ad interactions not mentioned in the document.
- Metrics Removed
- Non-overlay, nonlinear ads – No longer or rarely used in the marketplace. Companion ads can now be used to accommodate such use cases.
- View – No longer used to measure video ads, as it is too easily confused with impressions. Technology vendors may use the “creative view” metric to track which video codec or technical version of an ad was played, but this refers to technical analysis and not measuring user engagement.
- Additional Modifications
- Distinguishing between player metrics and ad metrics to differentiate ad performance measurement from player interactions. While player interactions may still apply to ad performance, grouping them may improve ad/player performance analysis.
- While expand/collapse still reference player behavior, it has been changed to “player expand” and “player collapse” for added clarity.
“Consensus on the language we use around ad measurement is the foundation for effective conversations between publishers, marketers, creatives and media buyers” said Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Research, Analytics and Measurement, IAB. “These definitions bring the lexicon up to date with current video industry technology and industry usage.”
“The IAB is working to ensure this document is an important and valuable resource for all players in the digital video advertising space. With the industry and technologies evolving at such a rapid pace, it was necessary to update the document to define new metrics and clarify terminology, while removing points that are no longer relevant,” said Margenett Moore-Roberts, Senior Director, Video Advertising Strategy, Yahoo and co-Chair of the Digital Video In-Stream Metrics Working Group within the IAB Digital Video Committee.
To download “Digital Video In-Stream Ad Metric Definitions,” please visit iab.net/digitalvideoinstream.To comment on the document, contact adtechnology@iab.net and include the proper version number.
About the IAB
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 600 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.
