http://www.iab.net/recent_press_releases The latest press releases from the Interactive Advertising Bureau. Tue, 20 Nov 2007 00:00:00 -0600 Fri, 03 Jul 2009 16:23:37 -0500 greg.vanullen@iab.net (Greg Van Ullen) greg.vanullen@iab.net (Greg Van Ullen) http://www.iab.net/media/image/logo.gif http://www.iab.net/recent_press_releases 100 60 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-070209?gko=3e017 Top Trade Associations Embrace First-Ever Broad Industry Self Regulation New York, NY (JULY 2, 2009) --A group of the nation's largest media and marketing trade associations today released self-regulatory principles to protect consumer privacy in ad-supported interactive media that will require advertisers and Web sites to clearly inform consumers about data collection practices and enable them to exercise control over that information. This unprecedented collaboration represents the entire marketing-media industry and includes the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's), the Association of National Advertisers (ANA), the Direct Marketing Association (DMA), and the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) . The Council of Better Business Bureaus (BBB), a leading organization dedicated to advancing marketplace trust, is also part of the effort and has agreed, along with the DMA, to implement accountability programs to promote widespread adoption of the seven Principles. This cross-industry self-regulatory task force represents the first time that representatives of the entire advertising ecosystem have come together to develop principles for the use and collection of data in this important area to the economy. This self-regulatory program is expected to be implemented at the beginning of 2010. "Consumers deserve transparency regarding the collection and use of their data for behavioral advertising purposes. I am gratified that a group of influential associations - representing a significant component of the Internet community - has responded to so many of the privacy concerns raised by my colleagues and myself," said Commissioner Pamela Jones Harbour, Federal Trade Commission (FTC). "These associations have invested substantial efforts to actually deliver a draft set of privacy principles, which have the potential to dramatically advance the cause of consumer privacy. I commend these organizations for taking this important first step. I am hopeful that successful implementation will follow.  In the meantime, I encourage the entire privacy community to continue a dialogue that places the interests of consumers first." "The practice of advertising has clearly been revolutionized by the emergence of the Internet. Today, we can match the content of an ad to the interests of the consumer in ways undreamed of just a few short years ago," said Nancy Hill, President & CEO, 4A's. "We will, of course, be able to continue this interest-based advertising only if we maintain the public's confidence that we are responsible stewards of the data on which it is built. The self-regulatory Principles being announced today represent a giant step forward in sustaining that consumer confidence. We are proud to have been one of the driving forces involved in bringing these Principles to life." "Guided by the seven Principles we have announced today, the advertising community is developing one of the most comprehensive self-regulatory programs ever undertaken by the business community. The fast-changing online marketing environment is best addressed by a self-regulatory framework that is transparent, flexible and accountable to consumers' needs and concerns. On behalf of our 360 members, who collectively invest more than $200 billion annually in marketing communications, we look forward to jointly developing a comprehensive business system that respects and honors these Principles," said Bob Liodice, President and CEO, ANA. "The Council of Better Business Bureaus is delighted to join this effort to provide solid guidelines and meaningful oversight of common sense Principles that should govern the business community as it collects and uses information to deliver advertising of interest to consumers," said Steven Cole, President and CEO, Council of Better Business Bureaus. "We think that what is most important about this effort is the real commitment by a broad coalition of businesses joining in to deliver a transparent and credible monitoring and enforcement program as a complement to the practical and consumer-friendly Principles. We look forward to working closely with the DMA and our other National Advertising Review Council partners to deliver a quality program." "These Principles are an important step in developing a meaningful self-regulatory framework for companies advertising on-line and represent the culmination of many months of hard work," said John A. Greco Jr., President and CEO, DMA. "As a respected voice in Washington, D.C., and on behalf of our 3,400 members, we look forward to integrating these Principles into DMA Guidelines, which for 35 years have set the standard of best practices through our strict ethical guidelines for business." "This historic collaboration represents businesses and trade associations working together to advance the public interest," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB. "Although consumers have registered few if any complaints about Internet privacy, surveys show they are concerned about their privacy. We are acting early and aggressively on their concerns, to reinforce their trust in this vital medium that contributes so significantly to the U.S. economy." "The NAI applauds the creation of these Principles and appreciates the opportunity to have been involved in their development," said Charles Curran, Executive Director of the Network Advertising Initiative, a cooperative of online marketing and analytics companies committed to building consumer awareness and establishing responsible business and data management practices and standards. "Our members' long-standing experience under the NAI's code shows the effectiveness of self-regulation in providing consumers with notice and choice about online behavioral advertising. The broadening of industry self-regulatory standards under these Principles will enhance consumer confidence in the online medium, and we commend the associations for their leadership in bringing together thousands of companies to expand transparency and choice across the Internet ecosystem." Taken collectively, the participating associations represent more than 5,000 leading U.S. companies across all of the key businesses that have played a role in the transformation of the way consumers experience media. According to the "Economic Value of the Advertising-Supported Internet Ecosystem," a recent study commissioned by the IAB, the advertising-supported Internet represents 2.1% of the total U.S. gross domestic product (GDP) contributing $300 billion to the economy and has created 3.1 million U.S. jobs. The Internet itself has become a vital link in the supply chain and communications chain for all businesses, and is a lifeline for the hundreds of thousands of small businesses and publishers that have no equivalently cost-effective means of reaching so wide an audience. The ecosystem includes advertisers, advertising agencies, Web publishers, Internet access services providers, providers of application software such as Web toolbars and Internet Web browsers, search engines and online advertising networks.  In January 2009, the task force announced that it had been working on the development of these Principles in direct response to calls on the Internet ecosystem by the FTC to develop more robust and effective self-regulation of online behavioral based advertising practices that would foster transparency, knowledge and choice for consumers. The Principles are designed to address consumer concerns about the use of personal information and interest based advertising while preserving the innovative and robust advertising that supports the vast array of free online content and the ability to deliver relevant advertising to consumers. This self-regulatory program consists of the following seven Principles. The Education Principle calls for organizations to participate in efforts to educate individuals and businesses about online behavioral advertising. To this end, the digital media industry intends, in a major campaign that is expected to exceed 500 million online advertising impressions, to educate consumers about online behavioral advertising, the benefits of these practices and the means to exercise choice, over the next 18 months. The Transparency Principle calls for clearer and easily accessible disclosures to consumers about data collection and use practices associated with online behavioral advertising. It will result in new, enhanced notice on the page where data is collected through links embedded in or around advertisements, or on the Web page itself. The Consumer Control Principle provides consumers with an expanded ability to choose whether data is collected and used for online behavioral advertising purposes. This choice will be available through a link from the notice provided on the Web page where data is collected. The Consumer Control Principle requires "service providers", a term that includes Internet access service providers and providers of desktop applications software such as Web browser "tool bars" to obtain the consent of users beforeengaging in online behavioral advertising, and take steps to de-identify the data used for such purposes. The Data Security Principle calls for organizations to provide reasonable security for, and limited retention of data, collected and used for online behavioral advertising purposes. The Material Changes Principle calls on organizations to obtain consent for any material change to their online behavioral advertising data collection and use policies and practices to data collected prior to such change. The Sensitive Data Principle recognizes that data collected from children and used for online behavioral advertising merits heightened protection, and requires parental consent for behavioral advertising to consumers known to be under 13 on child-directed Web sites. This Principle also provides heightened protections to certain health and financial data when attributable to a specific individual. The Accountability Principle calls for development of programs to further advance these Principles, including programs to monitor and report instances of uncorrected non-compliance with these Principles to appropriate government agencies. The CBBB and DMA have been asked and agreed to work cooperatively to establish accountability mechanisms under the Principles. View the complete document at: www.iab.net/behavioral-advertisingprinciples . Press contacts for all organizations: 4A's   Kipp Cheng (212)850-0720 kipp@aaaa.org DMA Sue R. E. Geramian (212)790-1486 sgeramian@the-dma.org ANA Lesley Weiner Neadel CooperKatz & Co. (917)595-3034 lneadel@cooperkatz.com CBBB Steve Cox (703) 247-9311 scox@council.bbb.org IAB Marla Aaron (212)380-4714 marla@iab.net Thu, 02 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-070209?gko=3e017 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-062509?gko=2eb56 Edward F. (Ted) West, President and CEO of LookSmart, Also Elected to IAB's Board of Directors NEW YORK, NY (June 25, 2009) -The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced today that its Board of Directors has elected a new Chairman, David J. Moore, Chairman & Founder of 24/7 Real Media, and Vice Chairman, Neil Ashe, President of CBS Interactive. Moore, who has served on the IAB's Board of Directors and its Executive Committee since 2001, was elected Vice Chairman in June 2008. He became Acting Chair after Wenda Harris Millard resigned in April 2009, who had the role of Chair since February 2008. Ashe, who has served on the IAB Board of Directors since April 2007, assumes the role of Vice Chairman, previously held by Moore. The IAB also announced the election of Edward F. (Ted) West, President & CEO of LookSmart, Ltd., to its Board of Directors. West was one of the founding members of the IAB in 1996. "We are thrilled that David and Neil have taken these leadership positions as Chair and Vice Chair of our Board," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "Dave is eminently qualified after demonstrating a profound commitment to the interactive ecosystem and the IAB as leader and entrepreneur. Neil has unparalleled expertise as a publisher of some of the Web's best-loved media brands. We welcome their expert contributions and diverse voices." "I look forward to continuing to serve the interactive industry with my esteemed colleagues and am honored to be the new Chairman of the IAB," said David J. Moore, Chairman and Founder of 24/7 Real Media. With these recent additions, the IAB's Board of Directors is now comprised of interactive organizations from across the breadth of platforms and technologies, reflecting the industry's enormous growth and consumers' increased appetite for and adoption of interactive media. Interactive advertising revenues exceeded $23 billion in 2008, according to research by the IAB and PricewaterhouseCoopers. The IAB Board of Directors 2009 Tim Armstrong*, AOL LLC. Neil Ashe*, CBS Interactive (Vice-Chairman) John Battelle, Federated Media Jeff Berman, Fox Interactive Media/MySpace Bob Carrigan, IDG Communications, Inc. Sarah Chubb*, Cond Nast Digital Kevin Conroy, Univision Interactive Media Greg D'Alba, CNN Mitch Golub, Cars.com Bruce Gordon*, Walt Disney Internet Group, (ex-officio,Treasurer) Jack Griffin, Meredith Corporation Peter Horan, Goodmail Systems, Inc Scott Howe, Microsoft Advertising Randy Kilgore, Tremor Media Rich LeFurgy, Archer Advisors, (ex-officio) Leon Levitt, Cox Newspapers Chris Ma, The Washington Post Company Dave Madden, WildTangent Greg McCastle, AT&T Converged Services Riley McDonough, Thomson Reuters Gordon McLeod, Wall Street Journal Digital Network David J. Moore*, 24/7 Real Media, Inc. (Chairman) Dave Morgan*, Simulmedia Inc. Peter Naylor, NBC Universal Martin Nisenholtz*, New York Times Company Joe Rosenbaum*, Reed Smith, LLP, (ex-officio, Secretary) Randall Rothenberg*, Interactive Advertising Bureau (President & CEO) Warren Schlichting, Comcast Spotlight Vivek Shah, Time Inc. Tina Sharkey, BabyCenter Tad Smith, Reed Business Information Jim Spanfeller*, Forbes.com Nada Stirratt, MTV Networks Bill Todd, ValueClick, Inc. Steve Wadsworth*, Walt Disney Internet Group Mike Walrath, Yahoo! Jeff Webber, USATODAY.com Edward F. (Ted) West, LookSmart, Ltd. Matt Wise, Q Interactive Dennis Woodside*, Google * Member of Executive Committee About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Biographies of IAB board members highlighted within this news announcement: DAVID J. MOORE David J. Moore is Chairman & Founder of 24/7 Real Media, Inc., a leading global digital marketing company that offers award-winning ad serving, targeting, tracking, and analytics platforms, along with powerful search marketing technology and a global network of Web sites. As Chairman of 24/7 Real Media, Mr. Moore focuses on strengthening the company's industry position, strategic relationships, recruitment and business development. Mr. Moore also works closely with WPP Digital to support the development and implementation of WPP's digital initiatives.  NEIL ASHE Neil Ashe serves as President of CBS Interactive. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing CBS Interactive's business strategy and vision, including sales, marketing, product development, and international operations. Previously, Ashe served as Chief Executive Officer of CNET Networks, Inc. until the company was acquired by CBS Corporation in May 2008. Ashe joined CNET Networks in 2002 as Senior Vice-President, Corporate Strategy and Development. In 2005, he assumed the role of Executive Vice-President and his responsibilities expanded to include day-to-day management of the Community and Lifestyle, Business, Channel and International divisions. EDWARD F. (TED) WEST Edward F. West has served as a director of LookSmart since November 2001 and was the Chair of the board from June 2005 through July 2008. In August 200, Mr. West was appointed interim Chief Executive Officer and President of the Company and named the Chief Executive Officer and President in January 2008. LookSmart specializes in non-proprietary search advertising networks. Since 2003, Mr. West has served as Managing Director of Sage Partners LLC, an advisory services firm in venture development. Mr. West had served as a director for Memetrics, a global provider of testing and optimization solutions for marketers located in San Francisco, from January 2006 until the company was sold to Accenture in January 2008; and for Advanced Ticketing Systems located in London from April 2006 until it was sold to Ticketmaster in March 2008. Thu, 25 Jun 2009 15:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-062509?gko=2eb56 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-061509?gko=ec0b2 Brings Clarity to Emerging Interactive Advertising Platform SAN FRANCISCO, CA (June 15, 2009) - As consumers spend more time playing in immersive gaming environments, marketers and game publishers have been struggling to compare campaign results because different measurement methodologies are used by different platforms. To establish a common methodology for counting impressions and to simplify the process of buying and selling in-game advertising , t he Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the release of In-Game Advertising Measurement Guidelines, the first of their kind. The public comment period for these guidelines was formally opened at the premier IAB Marketplace: Games event, taking place in San Francisco today and focused on educating marketers and agencies about the increasing brand opportunities in PC and console-game advertising . In order to encourage market growth, the IAB Games Committee worked with key industry stakeholders to develop a single methodology for in-game advertising measurement. The IAB's proposed new guidelines cover dynamic, in-game advertisements that appear in PC or console-based games and: Establish a common methodology for counting impressions, thus making it easier to buy and sell in-game advertising Provide key measurement definitions to help marketers better understand and quantify the value of advertising exposure within the gaming environment "Because the in-game environment is unique in advertising with regard to its level of consumer engagement and the way advertising is experienced within those environments, it requires specific methodology for counting impressions," said Jeremy Fain, Vice President of Industry Services of the IAB. "When these guidelines are widely adopted by game publishers and ad servers, it will be easier for marketers and agencies to justify larger investments as consumers spend more time playing immersive games." "This is an important step in clarifying and simplifying the process of buying advertising within the in-game environment," said David Sturman, IAB Games Committee Co-Chair and Principal Architect for Microsoft's in-game ad company Massive. "Clear standards and methodologies help to demystify a new and exciting form of advertising which will only bring more marketers into games." "The IAB's work in providing measurement guidelines across the interactive advertising ecosystem has supplied critical tools to the industry, and these guidelines are another component of this important work," said George Ivie, CEO and Executive Director of the Media Rating Council (MRC). "In-game advertising is an emerging medium with lots of opportunity for growth. These guidelines help build the foundation for a strong future." Members of the industry--advertising agencies, advertisers, online publishers and technology vendors--are encouraged to read the proposed guidelines and submit comments on the IAB site at: www.iab.net/in-game After the comment period closes on July 17, 2009, the feedback will be reviewed and the guidelines will be finalized and released.  About the IAB Games Committee: The mission of this committee is to articulate the value of gaming as an advertising platform. About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net   Mon, 15 Jun 2009 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-061509?gko=ec0b2 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-061009-flyin?gko=4b2d1 Association Marshals Small Businesses to Educate Legislators and Regulators on Role of Ad-Supported Internet in U.S. Economy WASHINGTON, D. C. (June 10, 2009)-- In a first-of-its-kind show of strength, Long Tail web publishers from 25 Congressional districts and 13 U.S. states converged in Washington, D.C., to explain the importance of the advertising-supported Internet empowering small business growth in America. The Congressional action was part of a two-day event, hosted by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) to showcase the importance of the ad-supported Internet to the U.S. economy. At a press conference at the National Press Club today, the IAB announced news across a number of initiatives: The Economic Value of the Advertising-Supported Internet Ecosystem -Commissioned by the IAB and produced by Harvard Business School professors John Deighton and John Quelch, it is the first-ever comprehensive analysis of the economic impact of this ever-more important medium. Among its findings: 2.1%, or $300 billion, of the total U.S. GDP is contributed by the ad-supported Internet, which has created 3.1 million jobs, including 20,000 small businesses. Long Tail publishers met with Congress and members of the press to tell their own stories of how they have turned their passions into a media revolution--and into businesses that are helping them achieve the American dream The formal launch of the IAB's Long Tail Alliance , an initiative to give voice through the IAB to small ad-supported, publishing and technology sites in the digital ecosystem The debut of "I Am the Long Tail," a seven-minute video, created by the IAB, that ties together vignettes from Long Tail publishers across the nation that puts the human face on the Long Tail and is part of a larger effort to collect and share the Long Tail story in video and online at iamthelongtail.com.  "We wanted the Long Tail Publishers to use their voices to speak to their Congresspeople about what interactive means to them, their employees and their families. Small businesses have been created and transformed in massive numbers across the U.S. with the advent of the ad-supported Internet." said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of IAB. "It is vital that our legislators and regulators, when considering potential regulations, understand that ad-supported publishers are responsible for profound economic value throughout the U.S.  Federal and state representatives should not diminish the diversity of voices and ideas in this most diverse of communications media." In coordination with IAB Long Tail Alliance Fly-in, the IAB announced that, for a limited time, small publishers are eligible to experience membership in the premier interactive advertising trade association and can apply for a special $399 membership rate. For more information on the Fly-In, and for a complete copy of the Economic Value of Advertising-Supported Internet Ecosystem, please go to www.iab.net . To find out how to qualify for membership in the IAB Long Tail Alliance, please go to www.iab.net/longtailalliance To view "I Am the Long Tail" and nearly 30 videos from Long Tail publishers, or to submit your own Long Tail video, please go to iamthelongtail.com . About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net  Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:30:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-061009-flyin?gko=4b2d1 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-061009-value?gko=dbd90 IAB-Commissioned Study Is First-Ever Comprehensive Analysis of Economic Impact of the Ad-Supported Internet WASHINGTON, D.C. (June 10, 2009) - Interactive advertising is responsible for $300 billion of economic activity in the U.S., according to a new study released today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). The advertising-supported Internet represents 2.1% of the total U.S. gross domestic product (GDP). It directly employs more than 1.2 million Americans with above-average wages in jobs that did not exist two decades ago, and another 1.9 million people work to support those with directly Internet-related jobs. A total of 3.1 million Americans are employed thanks to the interactive ecosystem. These are the key findings of the first-ever research to analyze the economic importance, as well as the social benefits, of the Internet. The study, commissioned by the IAB was produced by Harvard Business School professors John Deighton and John Quelch, along with Cambridge, MA-based Hamilton Consultants. The study was designed to provide an impartial and comprehensive review of the entire Internet economy and answer questions about its size, what comprises it, and the economic and social benefits Americans derive from it. "This is the first time anyone has undertaken a comprehensive analysis of the size and scope of the Internet economy and measurement of its economic and social benefits," said Professor Deighton, the Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, and an author of the study. "I am convinced the results of this study will prove useful for business leaders, legislators and the educational community." "This study underscores that the Internet ecosystem is generating an increasing level of economic activity in every corner of the nation," said Professor Quelch, the Lincoln Filene Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School and a co-author of the study. The study looks at the entire interactive marketing ecosystem, which includes: The ad-supported Internet, narrowly defined as the content and usage supported by an estimated $23.4 billion of Internet advertising in 2008 E-commerce E-mail, the cornerstone of lead generation and customer care for many companies Enterprise websites, the Web sites that businesses, large and small, develop and maintain for communication. Among some of the other important findings: Small businesses have thrived as a result of the Internet: There are more than 20,000 Internet-related small businesses in the U.S. that provide a variety of services such as web hosting, ISP services, web design, publishing, and Internet-based software consulting. Many of these businesses have 10 or fewer employees. Internet-related employment is particularly important to certain areas of the country but exists in every one of the 435 U.S. Congressional Districts. Some Congressional Districts have more than 6,000 Internet-related employees. Interactive advertising has substantially reduced what consumers have to pay for access to the Internet and for e-commerce products and services. In addition to its financial contribution to the U.S. economy, the Internet has produced large social consequences as an infrastructure and platform, providing American society comprehensive qualitative benefits that include: Universal access to an almost unlimited source of information Increased productivity (output per unit of capital or labor, or increased consumer utility at a lower cost) Innovation in business practices , consumer behavior, commerce and media Empowerment of entrepreneurs to start small businesses , find customers and grow Environmental benefits derived from saving natural resources lowering pollution through the reduced use of petroleum-based fuels and paper "The results of this study confirm the vast influence and driving importance of the ad-supported Internet to the overall economy," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB. "By understanding the total contribution of the Internet to the U.S. economy, we can more accurately assess the impact of potential legislative changes on the Internet's operations, particularly the consequences of any actions that would alter ad-supported business models." The research divided the Internet ecosystem into 14 different types of companies: Internet service providers (ISPs) Hardware providers IT consulting and solutions companies Software companies Web hosting and content management companies Search engines and portals Content sites Software as a Service (SaaS) Ad agencies and support services Ad networks E-mail marketing and support Enterprise staffs and subcontractors responsible for Internet advertising, marketing and web design E-commerce companies, including physical delivery B2B e-commerce To read the full study, please go to www.iab.net/economicvalue About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Wed, 10 Jun 2009 12:30:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-061009-value?gko=dbd90 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-060509?gko=5bb0f Slight Year on Year Decline in Toughest Advertising Marketplace in Decades NEW YORK, NY (June, 5 2009) - In a recessionary environment that has hit other media sectors with greater force, Internet advertising revenues in the U.S. were at $5.5 billion for the first quarter of 2009, according to the numbers released today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). The figure represents a 5% decline over the same period in 2008. "Interactive advertising has taken its rightful place as a fixture on marketing plans across sectors, which means we aren't immune to broader economic trends," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "Nevertheless, consumers are spending more and more time with interactive media. For this, and other reasons, interactive media continues to gain share of marketing spend. We're confident that growth will resume as the U.S. economic climate improves. Interactive advertising is the most accountable way to reach consumers--and in this economy, digital media will be a core component of any successful marketing campaign." David Silverman, PwC Assurance partner, echoed the observation that interactive advertising has been less affected by economic conditions than other media. "Current economic conditions are clearly challenging," Silverman said. "Nonetheless, interactive media continues to consume a larger piece of the overall advertising pie." The following chart highlights quarterly ad revenue since 2001; dollar figures are rounded. Conducted by the New Media Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the Internet Advertising Revenue Report was launched in 1996 by the IAB, and aggregates data from all companies that report meaningful online advertising revenues. The results are considered the most accurate measurement of interactive advertising revenues with the data compiled directly from information supplied by companies selling advertising on the Internet. The survey includes data concerning online advertising revenues from Web sites, commercial online services, ad networks, free e-mail providers, and all other companies selling online advertising. First and third quarter revenue reports are estimates, with the actual figures being released along with second and fourth quarter data respectively. PwC does not audit the information and provides no opinion or other form of assurance with respect to the information. About PricewaterhouseCoopers: PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 154,000 people in 153 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net PricewaterhouseCoopers Media Contact: Steven Silber 646-471-4059 steven.silber@us.pwc.com Or Linden Alschuler & Kaplan for PricewaterhouseCoopers: Suzanne Dawson 212.329.1420 sdawson@lakpr.com   Fri, 05 Jun 2009 10:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-060509?gko=5bb0f http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-051809?gko=cd4de Industry's First Roadmap for Realizing Platform's Advertising Potential New York, NY (May 18, 2009) - Social media allows consumers to interact with brands and become marketing messengers themselves--leading to the transformation of what was once a one-way communication from brands to consumers into a two-way, ongoing conversation. To define the key elements of social advertising and showcase best practices for consumer control and privacy, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the release of "Social Advertising Best Practices," the next step in the IAB's ongoing efforts to build the advertising infrastructure of social media. It provides publishers, agencies and marketers with recommendations for the successful execution of social advertising campaigns. It was announced at the IAB's Social Media Marketplace in New York, a conference that brings together industry-leading advertisers, publishers and platforms to tackle big issues and provide real-world, real-time solutions for leveraging social media. "Social Advertising Best Practices" includes: Key terms and definitions of the elements of a social ad and how social advertising differs from other online display advertising A library of examples of distinct advertising creative executions for a variety of marketing messages Recommendations for consumer policies on opt-in and opt-out procedures Privacy guidelines for publishers, agencies and marketers regarding data gathering, consumer disclosure and usage of consumer information. "We have inventoried the vast array of resources available in social media and created a guide that publishers, marketers and agencies can use to build powerful dialogues between consumers and brands," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "This document is an excellent introduction to the conversation economy--where consumers have more ways to engage than ever." "Social media is one of the areas that our clients are most interested in, based on the audience size and high level of engagement. It is also one of the most transparent brand and consumer connection points that we have ever faced in marketing," said Curt Hecht, President, VivaKi Nerve Center "The work of the IAB's UGC & Social Media Committee will assist in removing a level of complexity in bringing brands and people together." "Industry standards are essential to making social media easy, safe and scalable for advertisers," said Seth Goldstein, CEO of Socialmedia.com and co-chair of the IAB's UGC Social Media Committee. "The new IAB framework is a critical first step in this direction and we are excited to help enable the next generation of social advertising." This document can be found on the IAB website at: http://www.iab.net/socialads The IAB recently announced "Social Media Ad Metrics Definitions," a resource that defines specific metrics for each type of social media. This document can be found at:http:// www.iab.net/socialmetrics About the IAB's User-Generated Content & Social Media Committee: The User-Generated Content & Social Media Committee of the IAB is comprised of over 150 member companies dedicated to helping develop and expand the user-generated content space as a viable advertising platform . The committee works to educate marketers and agencies on the strength of user-generated content and social media as a marketing vehicle. A full list of Committee member companies can be found at: http://www.iab.net/user_generated_content_social_media_committee About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net   Mon, 18 May 2009 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-051809?gko=cd4de http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-051209?gko=85193 Publishers and Advertisers Reach Consensus on Critical Online Measurement NEW YORK, NEW YORK (May 12, 2009) --To an Internet user, a click is a simple action.  Accurately counting those clicks, however, is a complex operational task. The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the release of its Click Measurement Guidelines, which establish parameters for the accurate buying and selling of cost-per-click advertising. The guidelines, agreed upon by key industry stakeholders, provide a strong framework for identifying and discarding invalid or fraudulent clicks, helping ensure that only legitimate clicks are counted. The Click Measurement Guidelines:  Define the technical life-cycle of a "click" and outline standard methodologies by which clicks should be measured and counted, including provisions for identifying invalid and/or fraudulent clicks. Establish standard terms that will help streamline the buying and selling of click-based media.  Increase transparency and consistency in click measurements for media companies, ad-serving organizations, advertisers, and third-party click auditors. "The fact that we've obtained agreement within the online industry on the precise definition and measurement of a click and a procedure for identifying and eliminating fraudulent clicks is a huge win for the industry," said Joe Laszlo, research director of the IAB. "These guidelines help assure marketers that the clicks they are paying for are generated by real people with a real interest in the product or service being advertised."  The guidelines are the latest addition to the IAB's ongoing efforts to harmonize interactive measurement. They complement IAB guidelines for general ad impressions, digital video commercials and audience reach measurement. "The ability to measure consumer interactions with ads has been one of the hallmarks of the interactive advertising industry," said George Ivie, Executive Director and CEO of the Media Rating Council (MRC). "The IAB has taken a leadership role in bringing this important work on Click Measurement to fruition and marketers and agencies will benefit enormously from it."  "The work of the IAB and member companies has produced an excellent document that is a solid first step in this process," said Tom Cuthbert, President, Click Forensics.  "We are proud to have been a part of the process every step of the way and will continue to support the efforts of the IAB and other organizations that work to improve traffic quality." To view the complete document, please go to www.iab.net/clickmeasurementguidelines About the IAB's Click Measurement Working Group: The Click Measurement Working Group includes representatives from 38 IAB member companies, including sellers, measurers, and auditors of online media. Initiated in late 2005, the working group, together with the Media Rating Council, has spent the last three years developing these important guidelines and achieving consensus around them. About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Tue, 12 May 2009 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-051209?gko=85193 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-050509?gko=c19fb New York, NY (May 5, 2009) - The advent of social media and its rapid adoption has created a seismic shift in the relationship between marketers and consumers. This transformation has brought with it a host of new tools and terms used to define and measure the platform's value and impact. To deliver consistency into this rapidly evolving means of communication, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the release of "Social Media Ad Metrics Definitions."The document divides social media into three distinct categories and defines the metrics specific to each type: Social Media Sites Blogs Widgets & Social Media Applications Evaluating the most important measurement terms will help marketers, agencies and publishers quantify the value added by consumers as they distribute the content throughout their personal networks, one of the defining characteristics of the platform. "Social media and its various tools have dramatically shifted the way consumers experience and interact with brands online," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "The terms and metrics we've laid out in this document will help marketers better understand the true ROI of participatory communication," said Jeremy Fain, Vice President of Industry Services of the IAB. "That will help marketers reach consumers, and measure that reach, more effectively." "With social media use now mainstream and new tools emerging daily, it is critical that we as an industry apply consistent metrics and definitions," said Liza Hausman, Vice President, Marketing, Gigya. "The IAB and its members have done a tremendous service to the industry by bringing this consistency to the social media marketing landscape and this document will prove to be an excellent tool for marketers and agencies as they develop social strategies for their campaigns." To view the complete document, please go to: http:// www.iab.net/socialmetrics The IAB has taken a leadership role in defining and educating marketers, agencies and publishers on social media. The IAB will host its first IAB Marketplace: Social Media on May 18, in New York, bringing together industry-leading advertisers, publishers and platforms to tackle big issues and provide real-world, real-time solutions for leveraging social media. To view the full agenda and register, please go to: http://www.iab.net/socialmedia2009 About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net   Tue, 05 May 2009 16:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-050509?gko=c19fb http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-043009-ies?gko=5cdd8 Latest Tool in the Industry's "War on Discrepancies" New York, NY (April 30, 2009) - Discrepancies have long been a challenge for the media industry and interactive advertising poses particular problems due to the different ways campaign data is managed by third-party ad servers and publisher ad servers. Today, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) announced its latest resource to help the industry wage "War on Discrepancies" with the release of the Impression Exchange Solution. The document identifies the key functional requirements necessary for the automated exchange of impression data between publishers and third-party ad servers, which will allow publishers and agencies to detect and address discrepancies in near real-time. It is part of the IAB's ongoing initiative to enhance efficiencies in the buying and selling of interactive advertising. The announcement was made at the IAB's Ad Ops Council Agency Day, where leaders from the publisher and agency ad operations community come together to develop solutions for improving ad operations in the online advertising industry. The Impression Exchange Solution was developed by the IAB's Ad Ops Council and is part of an ongoing joint initiative between the IAB and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) called the Interactive Reinvention Task Force. The Impression Exchange Solution: Saves publishers time by eliminating the need to manually pull campaign reports from third party ad servers. Significantly decreases the number of discrepancies in invoices by allowing for the early detection of discrepancies so the publisher and agency can address campaign delivery issues. Enables publishers and agencies to work together to improve processes and service quality. "Discrepancies in interactive advertising are an enormous problem--costing, and wasting, a lot of time, money, and effort," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "We've been working with our partners to create real-world solutions. Once all parts of the supply chain adopt these recommendations, everyone will benefit." "This is a game-changer for the online industry," said Jeremy Fain, Vice President of Industry Services of the IAB. "The Impression Exchange Solution achieves system integration and standardization of key processes in the buying and selling of interactive advertising--and that will dramatically reduce discrepancies while giving publishers and agencies more time to make campaigns more effective and engaging." "The Impression Exchange Solution is a crucial step to improve efficiencies in interactive advertising," said David Cohen, Executive Vice President, US Director of Digital Communications for Universal McCann, Chairperson of the 4A's Digital Marketing Committee, and the agency lead of the Interactive Reinvention Task Force, "Now it becomes critical for publishers, agencies and third party ad servers to adopt these solutions as part of their business processes.  Through adoption, we get one step closer to reducing inefficiencies and discrepancies - two of the most vexing challenges for our industry." To view the complete document, please go to www. iab.net/ies About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net. IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net   Thu, 30 Apr 2009 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-043009-ies?gko=5cdd8 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-043009?gko=da6b6 Multi-Disciplinary Forum Includes Agency Creatives for the First Time New York, NY (April 30, 2009) - The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced that it has held its first meeting of the Re-Imagining Interactive Advertising Task Force, comprised of top online publishers, media agencies and, for the first time, creative officers from the nation's leading advertising agencies. The new task force's objective is to develop a comprehensive roadmap for the next stages in the evolution of interactive advertising to ensure that ad formats meet the growing business and creative needs of advertisers, agencies and publishers. "We believe we can make interactive advertising far more hospitable to the craft and practice of persuasion by putting creativity front and center in the development of advertising standards," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "By bringing creative agency leaders into the discussion of the standards, we highlight our industry-wide mission to showcase brands and engaging consumers in meaningful ways." It is a historic change for the industry to include advertising agency creative executives in the process of developing ad standards. In 2002, the IAB issued the first Universal Ad Package comprised of four ad standards and has subsequently added 14 supplemental standard ad units to the total as the online space has evolved. The IAB reviews these units annually and makes adjustments based on marketplace data obtained from IAB member companies and syndicated research firms. This year's decision to bring the industry's creative and media thought leaders together adds a broader perspective as the IAB examines the current state of interactive advertising and determines whether new approaches need to be recommended to the marketplace. The following are participating in the Re-Imagining Interactive Advertising Task Force: Barbarian Group BBDO Worldwide Carat Interactive Cars.com CBS Interactive Cond Nast Digital Digitas Disney Interactive Media Group Google, Inc. McKinney Microsoft Advertising New York Times Digital Ogilvy Interactive Platform-A Razorfish R/GA ShortTail Time Inc. Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. Universal McCann Univision Online Yahoo!, Inc. "It's great that the IAB is putting creative front and center through its Re-imagining Interactive Advertising Task Force," said Brian DiLorenzo, Director of Integrated Production, BBDO North America.  "Regardless of form or platform, in the end, it's all about creating compelling content that engages consumers and rewards them for spending time with our clients' brands." "The 4A's and our members look forward to working with the IAB on this mission-critical effort to accommodate creativity in online advertising," said Nancy Hill, President and CEO of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's). "As an industry we've proven how interactive advertising can build brands and with the constantly evolving technologies at our fingertips it is in our best interests to develop ad units that showcase great work and can be scaled and delivered seamlessly to consumers. Together, this group can make that happen." The IAB has taken a lead role in advocating for greater creativity in online advertising. Rothenberg has written and spoken extensively about the need for digital media to more effectively meet marketers' needs and expressed his thinking on the subject in "A Bigger Idea: A Manifesto on Interactive Advertising Creativity "on his blog which has been covered extensively. The full article can be found here: http://www.iab.net/iablog/2009/02/a-bigger-idea-a-manifesto-on-i.html In February of this year, the IAB announced the formation of an Advertising Agency Advisory Board comprised of senior executives from the nation's leading creative, digital and media agencies, to bring the agency point of view more fully into the IAB's guidelines work and to drive forward the importance of premium online experiences. To see more, please go to: http://www.iab.net/pr-022209-agency The IAB has also launched the IAB Boot Camp for Creative Agencies, an in-depth on-site educational program that teaches agency creative executives and their teams the most effective ways to leverage interactive media for greater results. For more information, please go to http://www.iab.net/events_training/690217 About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net. IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:30:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-043009?gko=da6b6 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-042009?gko=6ed71 Releases "VPAID" Guidelines as Latest Addition to Far-Reaching Strategy Intended to Fuel the Fastest Growing Area of Interactive Advertising New York, NY (April 20, 2009) - The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the release of Video Player-Ad Interface Definition Guidelines (VPAID) , advancing an ongoing strategy to greatly simplify the buying and selling of digital video media by building a strong foundational infrastructure. Today's announcement, at the IAB's Digital Video Marketplace in New York, outlines methods for communication between video players and video ads and provides specifications that facilitate the planning, production and implementation of digital video advertising. The guidelines will help all stakeholders in the interactive advertising industry--marketers profit from reduced costs of production, creative agencies benefit from the decreased time it takes to execute a campaign and publishers gain from the expansion of the marketplace to more interactive digital advertising. The VPAID Guidelines help the interactive industry: Define a standard method for video ads to communicate with video players and enable ad compatibility across all VPAID-compliant players Provide specifications that can be implemented by any type of video player Cut production costs and improve ROI for advertisers while enabling a less intrusive experience for video content viewers. According to the IAB's 2008 Internet Advertising Revenue Report, digital video more than doubled its revenue with an increase to $734 million from $324 million in 2007, demonstrating how both marketers and consumers are embracing this dynamic platform. VPAID is the latest addition to the IAB's work over the past year creating a common structure across the digital video ecosystem. The IAB's efforts have addressed specific concerns around technology, metrics and consistent terminology. This ongoing initiative has included the release of the following documents: Digital Video Overview Document Digital Video In-Stream Ad Format Guidelines and Best Practices Digital Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) Digital Video In-Stream Ad Metrics Definitions All of these documents can be reviewed at:  http://www.iab.net/iab_products_and_industry_services/508676/508950 "Digital video is one of the most critical growth areas for interactive advertising because it provides marketers with the power of sight sound and motion," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "The standards that the IAB has created have played a key role in paving the way for a greater breadth of marketers across vertical industries to tap its power and I have no doubt that we are only at the very beginning." "The IAB's work in developing the critical framework for digital video has played an important role in its growth and acceptance by both marketers and agencies," said Joey Trotz, Sr. Director, Strategic Advertising Technology for Turner Broadcasting and Co-Chair of the IAB's Digital Video Committee. "Consumers' appetite for the sight, sound and motion of digital video will only increase--the solid foundation which we've established through the Digital Video Committee's work will help ensure that ongoing growth." "All of our efforts related to digital video are meant to be infrastructural building blocks that together provide publishers, agencies and marketers with the tools needed to create dynamic online experiences for consumers," said Jeremy Fain, Vice President of Industry Services of the IAB. About the IAB's Digital Video Committee: The Digital Video Committee of the IAB is comprised of over 180 member companies actively engaged in the creation and execution of digital video advertising. One of the goals of the committee is to implement a comprehensive set of guidelines, measurement, and creative options for interactive video advertising. The committee works to educate marketers and agencies on the strength of digital video as a marketing vehicle. A full list of Committee member companies can be found at: http://www.iab.net/digital_video_committee About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net. IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net  Mon, 20 Apr 2009 09:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-042009?gko=6ed71 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-033009?gko=cde53 Q4 '08 Revenues Total $6.1 Billion; Growth Continues Despite Difficult Economy NEW YORK, NY (March 30, 2009) - Internet advertising revenues in the U.S. remain strong, topping $23 billion, according to the 2008 Internet Advertising Revenue Report, released today by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP (PwC). Despite a difficult U.S. economy, interactive advertising's continued growth, albeit at a slower pace, confirms marketers' increased recognition of the medium's value in reaching consumers online where they are spending more and more of their time. Full-year 2008 revenues totaled a record $23.4 billion, exceeding 2007's performance, itself the former record of $21.2 billion, by $2.2 billion or 10.6%. By comparison, a variety of sources indicate weakness in overall advertising spending. The Nielsen Company, for example, reported that U.S. advertising for the full year 2008 was down 2.6% compared to the full year 2007. Fourth-quarter revenues of $6.1 billion mark the first time the interactive advertising industry achieved, and surpassed, $6 billion in a single quarter. The figures represent a $154 million or 2.6% increase from 2007's fourth quarter, which had revenues of $5.9 billion. This is the fifth consecutive year of record results. "We are seeing an ongoing secular shift from traditional to online media as marketers recognize that ad dollars invested in interactive media are effective at influencing consumers and delivering measurable results," said Randall Rothenberg, president and CEO of the IAB. "In this uncertain economy, where marketers know they need to do more with less, interactive advertising provides the tools for them to build deep, engaging relationships with consumers--the experience marketers gain from this will deliver dividends especially after the economy turns around." Search remains the main driver of revenue growth according to the report, showing a 19.8% increase over 2007. Digital video, though still a small overall contributor, more than doubled its revenue with an increase to $734 million from $324 million in 2007, demonstrating how both marketers and consumers are embracing this dynamic platform. As in 2007, retail, financial services, computing and automotive remained the four largest verticals among Internet advertisers in 2008. Consumer packaged goods, an industry vertical historically slow to embrace interactive advertising, notably increased its share of total Internet ad revenues by 60 percent over 2007. The Internet is now the third largest ad-supported medium, marking its increasing significance to marketers and consumers. "Though some categories in the fourth quarter slowed or even dipped, reflecting the current economic challenges, the overall performance is up, confirming interactive's ever-growing importance to the successful marketing mix," said David Silverman, Partner, Assurance, PricewaterhouseCoopers. The following chart highlights full-year revenue data breakouts; dollar figures are rounded.   FY 2008 Share of revenue $'s (000)   FY 2007 Share of revenue $'s (000)   Search 45% ($10,546) 42% ($8,805) Display Related: 33% ($7,640) 33% ($7,072)     -Banner Ads 21% ($4,877) 21% ($4,456)     -Rich Media 7% ($1,642) 8% ($1,656)     -Digital Video 3% ($734) 2% ($324)     -Sponsorship 2% ($387) 3% ($636) Classifieds 14% ($3,174) 16% ($3,321) Referrals/Lead Generation 7% ($1,683) 7% ($1,584) E-mail  2% ($405) 2% ($424) Conducted by the New Media Group of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the Internet Advertising Revenue Report was launched in 1996 by the IAB, and aggregates data from all companies that report meaningful online advertising revenues. The results are considered the most accurate measurement of interactive advertising revenues with the data compiled directly from information supplied by companies selling advertising on the Internet. The survey includes data concerning online advertising revenues from Web sites, commercial online services, ad networks, free e-mail providers, and all other companies selling online advertising. First and third quarter revenue reports are estimates, with the actual figures being released along with second and fourth quarter data respectively. PwC does not audit the information and provides no opinion or other form of assurance with respect to the information. A copy of the full report is available at: http://www.iab.net/AdRevenueReport About PricewaterhouseCoopers: PricewaterhouseCoopers (www.pwc.com) provides industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to build public trust and enhance value for its clients and their stakeholders. More than 154,000 people in 153 countries across our network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice. About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net. IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net PricewaterhouseCoopers Media Contact: Steven Silber 646.471.4059 steven.g.silber@us.pwc.com Or Linden Alschuler & Kaplan for PricewaterhouseCoopers: Suzanne Dawson 212.329.1420 sdawson@lakpr.com Mon, 30 Mar 2009 12:00:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-033009?gko=cde53 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-031009?gko=2428b Professional Development Program to Provide Critical Training in Rapidly Changing Media Environment NEW YORK, NY (March 10, 2009) - The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the launch of the IAB Certificate in Interactive Advertising, a new educational credential earned after 40 hours of official training with the IAB or its approved partners. The latest component of the IAB's Professional Development Program, this recently developed curriculum consists of a series of classes on platforms, like social media and in-game advertising, and tools, such as metrics and yield management. Drawing on the unique expertise of IAB's members and staff, the program provides publishing, marketing and advertising agency professionals the key skills and competencies they need for success in the new media landscape. The certificate program begins with the six classes in the IAB Professional Development Program Spring 2009, detailed below. All are affordably priced and, like the other classes in the program, count towards the IAB Certificate in Interactive Advertising. "The IAB is able to take a wealth of practical, working knowledge we've amassed over the years, as well as the in-depth proprietary research we've conducted, and combine that with the on-the-ground experience of our members to create an unsurpassed educational program that will train participants to do their jobs better or even advance into more significant roles in interactive media," said Michael Theodore, Vice President, Member Services of the IAB. "This program is part of our overarching strategy to educate the entire ecosystem on the latest tools and techniques in online advertising, and if you don't know these basic skills, you'll be left out." Classes coming up in March, for which registrations need to be made immediately, include: March 17 - Marketing with Social Media and Networks - Taught by Peter Spande, VP Sales at Federated Media. This class will provide an overview of the major players in the social media and social networking space, as well as successful strategies for leveraging online communities for marketing purposes. March 25 - Ad Operations for Account Execs - Taught by Ad Ops experts from AOL, New York Times and Univision. This class will provide an overview of the process of operations in online advertising campaigns, including lessons on how to speed execution and improve the bottom line. It will also focus on the ad ops role and the key operational issues account executives must be familiar with when selling to ensure their clients' campaigns are successful. The other Spring 2009 classes include: April 7 - Managing Multiple Sales Channels April 23 - Video Game Advertising May 7 - Understanding and Using Online Metrics May 20 - Yield Management Best Practices. Registration is currently open for a limited number of seats at www.iab.net/events_training/690291 . All classes will be held at IAB's headquarters office in New York City. For more information on the program and the IAB Certificate in Interactive Advertising Certificate, please visit: www.iab.net/professional_development About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net. IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Tue, 10 Mar 2009 12:30:00 -0500 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-031009?gko=2428b http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022609?gko=b376c Defines Parameters for Click Measurement, Provides a Unified Industry Response to the Problem of Fraudulent Clicks NEW YORK, NEW YORK (February 26, 2009) -- The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the release of Click Measurement Guidelines, a document that will establish parameters for the accurate buying and selling of cost-per-click advertising, an important and growing category of interactive advertising. Marketers will now have a standard for consistently and reliably measuring their performance-based marketing efforts. The guidelines also provide a strong framework for filtering fraudulent clicks giving buyers and sellers confidence that only legitimate clicks are being counted. The Click Measurement Guidelines will: Provide a detailed definition of a "click" and outline standard methodologies by which clicks should be measured and counted, including the identification of invalid and/or fraudulent clicks. Define standard terms that will help streamline the buying and selling of click-based media. Increase transparency and consistency in click measurements for media companies, ad-serving organizations, advertisers, and third-party click auditors. "These guidelines demonstrate our continued commitment to being the most accountable advertising medium and providing marketers with the highest possible level of transparency," said Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Industry Services of the IAB. "It is critical that the advertising industry agree upon the precise definition and measurement of a click and establish procedures for weeding out fraudulent clicks.  The IAB is proud to have organized our members around this effort." The guidelines are the latest addition to the IAB's ongoing work to harmonize interactive measurement. They complement IAB guidelines for general ad impressions, digital video commercials and audience reach measurement. "I applaud the IAB for taking a leadership role in bringing the Click Measurement Guidelines to fruition," said George Ivie, Executive Director and CEO, of the Media Rating Council (MRC). "The interactive industry has consistently met the marketplace need for increased reliability in measurement and this is yet another example of how the IAB has mobilized its members on behalf of both agencies and marketers." "Helping the interactive industry define a click and the standard for measuring one has been an extraordinary effort on the part of the IAB and its members," said Shuman Ghosemajumder, Business Product Manager for Trust & Safety, Google and a leading member of the IAB's Click Measurement Working Group. "It is an important step that continues to reinforce interactive media's role as the most accountable and measurable form of advertising." "IAB's Guidelines will provide users, advertisers and partners with further confidence that the industry, including Yahoo!, is taking click fraud issues seriously," said Reggie Davis, VP of Network Quality at Yahoo!  "Yahoo! worked on the IAB's Click Measurement Working Group to develop these guidelines for identifying and filtering potential invalid or fraudulent clicks as part of its commitment to a transparent process for the measurement of valid clicks." Members of the industry--advertising agencies, advertisers, online publishers and technology vendors--are encouraged to read the proposed guidelines and submit comments on the IAB site at: www.iab.net/clickmeasurementguidelines . After the comment period closes on Friday March 27, 2009, the feedback will be reviewed and the guidelines will be finalized and released. About the IAB's Click Measurement Working Group: The Click Measurement Working Group includes representatives from 38 IAB member companies, including sellers, measurers, and auditors of online media. Initiated in late 2005, the working group, together with the Media Rating Council, has spent the last three years developing these important guidelines and achieving consensus around them. About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net. IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:00:00 -0600 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022609?gko=b376c http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022309-audience?gko=d10c9 Consensus-Based Initiative Enhances Accuracy for Interactive Advertising ORLANDO, FLORIDA (February 23, 2009) -The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the release of the final version of its Audience Reach Measurement Guidelines at its Annual Leadership Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back, in Orlando, Florida. These guidelines provide clear, consistent definitions of key metrics and create a single standard for measuring Web audience sizes. The guidelines are the result of a major industry-wide initiative led by the IAB and included the participation of publishers, agencies and auditing organizations. These new guidelines: Define key industry metrics such as unique users, unique cookies, unique browsers, visits and time spent. Establish a framework for all measurement providers to have their methodologies audited, providing greater certainty for the industry. Foster greater accuracy and reliability of all forms of online audience measurement, whether based on server data, online panels or user registration. Marketers, agencies and online publishers rely on audience metrics reported by vendors that use a variety of methodologies. Transparency into these methodologies and clear definitions of commonly used terms are critical to the ongoing growth of interactive media as marketers increase their investment in interactive media. "Establishing a broad industry consensus in favor of these guidelines is critical to ensuring that they gain traction in the marketplace," said Joe Laszlo, Director of Research at the IAB. "As providers of measurement data adopt the guidelines, marketers can be increasingly confident they are planning their campaigns based on sound, reliable data." "Effective interactive advertising campaigns rely on accurate audience measurement," said Kate Downey, director of audience analytics and insights, The Wall Street Journal Digital Network. "These guidelines provide accountability in audience measurement for marketers, agencies and other industry stakeholders." "By issuing these guidelines, the IAB has given measurement organizations across the industry a set of rigorous and consistent guidelines to help ensure standardized measurements of unique cookies, unique devices, or unique users," said George Ivie, CEO and Executive Director of the Media Rating Council (MRC). "This is an important and commendable step towards full accountability." To review the complete guidelines, please go to www.iab.net/audiencemeasurement . About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net. IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:00:00 -0600 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022309-audience?gko=d10c9 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022209-agency?gko=afe3c Top Talent from Creative, Digital and Media Agencies Signs On ORLANDO, FLORIDA (February 22, 2009) - The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the formation of an Advertising Agency Advisory Board comprised of 12 senior executives from the nation's leading creative, digital and media agencies. The new board's objective is to spark dialogue among agencies, publishers and marketers, and even between media agencies and creative agencies. The IAB also intends to use the board to infuse the agency point of view more fully in its guidelines work and to drive forward the importance of premium online experiences, with audience as the first priority. The IAB has also signaled its intention to recapture for online campaigns the emotionally resonant and culturally significant creativity that has long characterized great advertising in other media. The announcement was made at the IAB's Annual Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back in Orlando, Florida. 2009 Ad Agency Advisory Board includes: •    Brad Brinegar, Chairman and CEO of McKinney, and Chair of the Agency Advisory Board •    Tom Bedecarr, CEO, AKQA •    Jeff Benjamin, Interactive Creative Director, Crispin Porter + Bogusky Advertising •    Alan Cohen, CEO of OMD USA, OMD Los Angeles. •    Colleen DeCourcy, Chief Digital Officer, TBWA Worldwide •    Brian DiLorenzo, Director of Integrated Production and Executive Director of Content, BBDO •    David Droga, Founder and Chairman, Droga5 •    Sarah Fay, CEO, Carat North America •    Maria Luisa Francoli, Global CEO, MPG •    Jean-Philippe Maheu, Chief Digital Officer, Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide •    Benjamin Palmer, Co-Founder, CEO, Barbarian Group •    Steve Wax, Partner and Chief Narratologist and Co-Founder, Campfire "This group represents a powerhouse of creative talent that will help lead the interactive industry to the next level by showing us how to harness the potential of the first truly interactive advertising medium--to engage consumers and build brands and communities in new and exciting ways," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB.  "Our interest in forming this advisory board is to enhance the partnership opportunities with agencies that will hasten and smooth the ongoing digital transformation of the full media ecosystem. And a lot of that will happen through creativity, relationships, and implementation." Rothenberg has been an outspoken advocate for deeper more collaborative relationships between agencies, publishers, marketers and technology. He recently wrote a "Creative Manifesto" on interactive advertising creativity where he named the four enemies of online branding and the new skill sets creative agencies today must possess to attract, engage, and influence consumers. The complete manifesto can be viewed in its entirety at www.randallrothenberg.com/2009/02/heartbeats-and-mouseclicks-manifesto-on.html. "Interactive media opens new doors for creative expression. Unlike predecessor media, we can engage people in an ongoing dialogue that creates a bond between the consumer, the advertiser and the medium that brought them together. The goal of the Advertising Agency Advisory Board is to share the interactive insights and experience of the nation's top creative agencies with the marketplace in order to maximize the interactive advertising experience for all participants," said Brad Brinegar, Chairman and CEO of McKinney, and Chair of the Agency Advisory Board. The group held its inaugural meeting in early February, and its creation was formally announced today at the IAB's Annual Leadership Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back, in Orlando, Florida. In the coming months, the board's intention is to help find ways to arm agencies for more success with clients and to field qualitative studies that confirm and highlight case studies of successful agency-publisher collaboration. In conjunction with the formation of the IAB Advertising Agency Advisory Board, the IAB announced its plans to debut the IAB Creative Agency Boot Camp next month  For more information, please go to www.iab.net/events_training/690217 . About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net. IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:00:00 -0600 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022209-agency?gko=afe3c http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022209-taskforces?gko=bef36 Takes On Two of Interactive Industry's Biggest Issues ORLANDO, FLORIDA  (February 22, 2009) -- The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced that it has launched task forces comprised of industry leaders to address two of the biggest issues facing the interactive advertising industry--data ownership and media contracts between buyers and sellers of interactive advertising. These task forces represent a cross section of interactive industry stakeholders from web publishers, portals, search engines and networks and exchanges. Their objective is to find answers to the issues of data ownership and to create a model contract that includes commonly used terms and conditions (Ts&Cs) that are mutually beneficial solutions for publishers, agencies and marketers, thereby improving relationships between the three groups, fostering business growth and facilitating industry partnerships. The announcement was made at the IAB's Annual Leadership Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back, in Orlando, Florida. "Our industry is absolutely committed to marshalling interactive media leadership to move forward on these important fronts," said Randall Rothenberg, President & CEO of the IAB. "We recognize that our members have truly revolutionized marketing with their products and services, and they are the ones who will be most adept at driving the change needed for resolution." The Interactive Ts&Cs Task Force's discussions with the 4A's are slated to begin in March. The following IAB member companies will serve on this task force: Cars.com CBS Interactive CNN.com Disney Interactive Media Group Facebook Forbes.com Fox Interactive Media Google Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia Microsoft Advertising NBC Universal New York Times Platform-A Time Inc Valueclick Media Yahoo!, Inc The IAB has long taken a leadership role in improving supply chain operations in an effort to reduce the complexities that marketers and agencies face when buying interactive advertising. One of the steps the IAB has taken was the formation with the 4A's of the Interactive Reinvention Task Force in 2008, a collaborative publisher-agency effort that also announced today a set of ground-breaking agreements on voluntary business process standards which, if adopted by agencies and publishers, will significantly reduce cost and complexity in the planning and buying of interactive advertising. In addition, the newly created Networks and Exchanges Committee has taken on an initiative to define and map out the types of data that can be collected and developed by ad networks. The IAB also announced today the launch of the Data Task Force that will tackle the challenges associated with data ownership. About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:00:00 -0600 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022209-taskforces?gko=bef36 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022209-reinvention?gko=561e8 Joint Task Force Devises Solutions That Streamline and Automate Workflow for Buying, Selling, and Delivering Interactive Media Download the 4As/IAB Interactive Reinvention Task Force document for more information ORLANDO, FLORIDA (February 22, 2009) -- The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A's) today announced a set of ground-breaking agreements on voluntary business process standards which, if adopted by agencies and publishers, will significantly reduce cost and complexity in the planning and buying of interactive advertising. The announcement was made at the IAB's Annual Leadership Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back, in Orlando, Florida. The agreements--which seek to standardize processes, documents, and systems used to buy and sell interactive advertising, and to eliminate the time and expense otherwise necessary to reconcile billing discrepancies--were negotiated during a year-long series of meetings by the Interactive Reinvention Task Force, a group of 17 advertising and publishing executives. The task force was led by David Cohen, Executive Vice President, US Director of Digital Communications for Universal McCann, Chairperson of the 4A's Digital Marketing Committee, and the agency lead of the Interactive Reinvention Task Force, and by Zack Rogers, VP of Revenue Operations, CBS Interactive and the Publisher Lead of the Reinvention Task Force. Among the major agreements reached by the joint 4A's/IAB group are: Standardization of basic business documents, including RFPs, advertising proposals and insertion orders, and invoices The design of a solution for exchanging impression data between publishers and third-party ad servers in order to detect and fix discrepancies in near real-time Revising and improving the current Standard Terms and Conditions document created in 2002 in order to reflect current operational and marketplace environment. "Because of incompatible business processes and systems, agencies and publishers together spend tens of millions of dollars a year unnecessarily on cleaning up messes that don't need to be there," said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. "These historic agreements will contribute significantly to the bottom lines of both our associations' member companies." "At a time when agencies and media companies are evolving the nature of their relationships and their businesses, the Interactive Reinvention Task Force is a critical step in improving the most fundamental elements of how we operate," said Nancy Hill, President and CEO of the 4A's. "These solutions will help drive revenue and allow all partners to more effectively scale operations." "The collaboration between publishers and agencies on the Interactive Reinvention Task Force has enabled us to accelerate the process by which these standards are implemented across the digital ecosystem," said Zack Rogers. "We are pleased at the progress we have made to date on the Interactive Reinvention initiative," said David Cohen. "Through an impression exchange solution and consistent nomenclature for RFPs, insertion orders and invoices we believe that we have taken an important first step towards achieving that goal.  Our attention will now turn to widespread adoption of these standards and working through the next iteration of industry standard Terms & Conditions." The 4A's and the IAB will soon launch a program--including a "road show"--to educate agencies and publishers about the new business standards and to encourage their adoption. About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 400 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net. About the 4A's The American Association of Advertising Agencies is the national trade association of the advertising agency business. The 1,196 member agency offices it serves in the United States employ 65,000 people, offer a wide range of marketing communications services, and place 80 percent of all national advertising. The management-oriented association helps its members build their businesses, and acts as the industry's spokesman with government, media, and the public sector. For more information visit our Web site at www.aaaa.org. IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Marketing Communications Director 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net 4A's Media Contact: Kipp Cheng Senior Vice President, Communications 212.850-0720 kipp@aaaa.org   Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:00:00 -0600 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022209-reinvention?gko=561e8 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022209-sales?gko=eea17 Recognizes Outstanding Performance and Achievements in Interactive Advertising ORLANDO, FLORIDA (February 22, 2009) - The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) today announced the winners of its 2008 Sales and Service Excellence Awards during its Annual Leadership Meeting, Ecosystem 2.0: Brands Battle Back, in Orlando, Florida. The Sales Awards honor IAB members for outstanding performance and leadership in interactive advertising sales. IAB Service Excellence awards honor outstanding member contributions to IAB industry-related initiatives.   "These awards recognize individuals and organizations that exemplified outstanding leadership and performance over the past year and helped drive growth in our industry. Each of the winners made exceptional contributions to their organizations and to the interactive advertising industry as a whole," said Sherrill Mane, SVP Industry Services for the IAB. Sales Excellence Awards The Sales Excellence Awards, given by the IAB and developed under the auspices of the IAB's Sales Executive Council in conjunction with The Myers Annual Survey of Advertising Executives, honors outstanding interactive sales organizations and individual account executives. The survey has been asking marketers, agency planners and buyers to evaluate the performance of interactive sales organizations since 2004. The IAB Sales Excellence Awards are based on proprietary questions and analyses of Myers' database. 2008 Sales Excellence Award Winners include: Long term Achievement: Washington Post Digital Most Innovative: Nickelodeon Online Sales Best Newcomer: Hulu Account Executive of the Year: Josh Thau, Microsoft Advertising Account Executive of the Year Finalists: Paul Chenier, IGN Entertainment Dan Bonert, Yahoo! Stacey Pear, Yahoo! Service Excellence Awards Across the IAB's nearly 400 member companies, 14 IAB councils and committees, and dozens of working groups, hundreds of IAB members participate in shaping the interactive advertising business and driving educational outreach to the marketplace. The IAB Service Excellence Awards honor individual members who have demonstrated strong leadership and provided an exceptional contribution to one or more significant, completed IAB initiatives over the past year. 2008 Service Excellence Award Winners include: Lon Pilot, Senior Architect, Platform A ; and Geoff Petkus, Senior Product Director, Operative , for their dedication and leadership during the development of the Interactive E-Business Standards. Steve Sullivan, Lead PM Data Integrity, Microsoft Advertising ,for his contributions and support for numerous IAB Ad Operations Council initiatives throughout 2008 including the Impression Exchange solution. Zack Rogers, VP Revenue Operations, CBS Interactive, for his dedication to and leadership of the 4A's/IAB Reinvention Task Force. Tim Avila , Marketing Director, Online Video Monetization, Yahoo! , for his dedication to and leadership of the Digital Video Ad Format Guidelines and the IAB Digital Video Committee. Mike Hurt, Senior Vice President, comScore , for his dedication to the Digital Video Committee while co-chair in 2008 and his contributions to the market-making IAB Digital Video Overview document. Christie Lay, Senior Credit Manager , Microsoft ,for her dedication and leadership of the Revenue Cycle Best Practices Working Group and other important CFO Council initiatives. Leslie Dunlap, Senior Director, Government Relations. Yahoo!, and Lisa Anderson, VP Global Public Policy, Time Warner, for theirservice on the Public Policy Council and dedication and leadership in creating the IAB's Privacy Principles. About the IAB: The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 375 leading media and technology companies who 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 www.iab.net . IAB Media Contact: Marla Aaron Director, Marketing Communications 212.380.4714 marla@iab.net Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:00:00 -0600 http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-022209-sales?gko=eea17