By Erika Morphy E-Commerce Times
04/30/09 2:58 PM PT
One of the problems plaguing online advertisers and publishers has been the lack of a standard means for communicating impression data to one another. Now, the Interactive Advertising Bureau has responded to that need with a document that standardizes the way automated systems handle this data. If adopted, the Impression Exchange Solution could dramatically streamline the process.
The
Interactive Advertising Bureau has unveiled a document that standardizes certain industry terms. Its purpose is to help resolve the surprisingly large number of discrepancies that occur when impression data is exchanged between publishers and third-party ad servers. Such discrepancies can range from simple mislabeling of certain buys to different ways of labeling a certain category.
The
Impression Exchange Solution identifies the functional requirements for the automated exchange of impression data between publishers and third-party ad servers, thus allowing publishers and agencies to detect and address discrepancies in near real-time.
The IAB was not available to comment on its new tool as its executives were all in meetings, spokesperson Marla Aaron told the E-Commerce Times.
Web 2.0 Meets Automation
It may seem odd that an industry birthed from Web 2.0 would lack a standard way of comparing terms or media buys, but that has been the case.
The end result is that people on both sides of the transaction spend a great deal of time and energy cross-checking paperwork to make sure all is in order, Deborah Armstrong, senior VP of sales and marketing at
Mediaspace Solutions, told the E-Commerce Times.
"With third-party ad servers, "publishers have one set of numbers, agencies have another -- and line item comparisons are incredibly time consuming," she said.
Comparing 1 Million Impressions
"For example, we might order, for a particular client, a run in a sports section. We might label the run 'sport section' in our internal records -- but the publisher might use its own internal numeric code," continued Armstrong.
When the impression buys are large -- 1 million, for instance -- it is easy to see how discrepancies can tie up the system.
"This new way of having designators for programs so everyone is calling them the same thing -- that will allow us to do line-item comparisons much faster," Armstrong said.
Of course, there is no guarantee all of the players will adopt these terms, she continued. "Buy-in -- playing by the rules -- is going to be important if this is going to succeed."
At first glance, though, it appears the industry is eager for a solution.
"It seems like the aim is to create greater transparency for agencies via more granular reporting, which should equate to greater insight and easier reconciliation," Michael Katz, president of
interCLICK, told the E-Commerce Times. "Empowering agencies to make better business decisions on behalf of their clients is something we all should be doing, so I commend them in their efforts."
t’s great that the IAB is addressing the discrepancy issue.
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