IAB seeks feedback on ad campaign measurement guidelines

By Giselle Abramovich

July 25, 2008

What do you think?

The Interactive Advertising Bureau announced the public comment release of its “Ad Campaign Measurement Process Guidelines.”

The document addresses the process of a publisher or advertising agency’s use of a third-party ad server and its application service provider.

“This expansion of the IAB Ad Campaign Measurement and Audit Guidelines and all other Impression Measurement Guidelines is intended to address an important component of the Measurement Certification Initiative of the IAB – the process supporting a publisher’s or ad agency’s use of a 3rd Party Ad Server and its Application Service Provider solution,” the document says.

“The guidance offered herein is derived from a consensus of areas for examination as shared with the IAB by the auditing organizations that are part of the IAB membership,” it says.

The guidelines enhance current measurement guidelines. They are also meant to provide definitions and guidance on the auditing of processes used in the placement, trafficking and reporting of interactive advertising.

This document will help the IAB, publishers and ad agencies further establish transparency and consistency in the area of ad measurement through certification by having all phases of ad serving put through a technology, process and data audit.

“Many major media companies and ad serving organizations with proprietary or enterprise ad serving technology have been audited as prominent brand marketers continue to demand the highest level of transparency and accountability from this world-class medium,” according to the guidelines.

“For a publisher or agency using a non-proprietary ad serving solution to be certified, it would be necessary for the ASP offering to be certified as well as all processes relevant to the internal controls and advertising counting system, but which are outside the scope of the ASP and in control of the publisher or agency,” per the guidelines.

ABCi, AMC Group, BPA Worldwide, Deloitte & Touche, Ernst & Young, ImServices Group, Media Rating Council and PricewaterhouseCoopers participated in authoring the guidelines.

Featured in the guidelines is a self-assessment questionnaire that allows publishers, third-party ad servers and agencies to rate their compliance.

The strategy here is to help the industry reduce discrepancies.

After the 30-day comment period, ending Sept. 10, the feedback will be reviewed and the guidelines will be finalized and publicly released.

Please click here to review the Interactive Advertising Bureau's Ad Campaign Measurement Process Guidelines.