The Mobile Marketing Association partnered with the Interactive Advertising Bureau to release a set of mobile ad guidelines this week. The groups released the guidelines November 9 for a month-long public comment session.
The groups designed the guidelines to establish an industry-wide framework for online advertising best practices. They were aided by The Media Rating Council, which audits audience measurement services.
Joe Laszlo, research director at IAB, said the guidelines will be open for comment until December 10. The organizations will alter them after considering public input.
“It’s a natural part of the evolution of any medium for there to be excitement around anything new, and for advertisers to want to be involved,” he said. “The guidelines are a sign post to advertisers that mobile advertising is starting on its path to maturity.”
IAB also recently asked industry leaders to help develop brand-friendly ad units. The group was also active in creating the Self-Regulatory Principles for Online Behavioral Advertising, which are guidelines for online data collection.
The groups’ goals for the mobile ad guidelines include creating a global definition and methodology for counting Web impressions; making the distinction between an online ad impression and a mobile Web impression; and providing marketers with key metrics for buying mobile Web ads.
Michael Becker, North America managing director at the MMA, emphasized the guidelines can be used to measure ad impressions on the mobile Web through common benchmarks.
“[The goal] is to create efficiency and transparency…that can be understood and compared across all sectors,” he said.
Laszlo added that there is a strong likelihood both organizations will partner again to create guidelines for in-application advertising.
