IAB UK moves closer to defining standards for native advertising
The Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) has moved a step closer to establishing a set of common standards for native advertising to provide better trading clarity around how to measure different types of content marketing.
It has released a set of “base line” definitions for marketers to draw from, which outline the various forms of content marketing, what they are and how they work within the digital advertising ecosystem.
The guidelines mark the first initiative to emerge from the IAB Content and Native Advertising working group, which was set up this February to address the terminology around the discipline.
The definitions, launched today (30 April), categorise the different, broad characteristics and commercial aspects of four main content-based revenue types: brand-owned content; display ad formats, paid content and native distribution.
IAB’s senior industry’s programmes manager, Clare O’Brien said: “With content-based and native advertising distribution becoming the prime focus of attention for many marketers we felt there was no better time than now to launch this piece of work. We’re aiming for this document to inform our immediate work streams and help brands and media owners begin to share a common language around content marketing terminology. There’s much more to come throughout 2014 from this very active and engaged group.”
Members of the Content and Native Advertising working group include a range of agencies, media owners and ad-tech companies including AOL, Bite, Buzzfeed, Facebook, Financial Times, Google, Guardian, Hearst, LinkedIn, Mediacom, Microsoft, newsUK, Twuitter, Unruly, Vibrant Media, Yahoo, DigitasLbi, and Affilinet.
The group will continue to work towards establishing a “common industry understanding” of native advertising and content marketing, and plans to release further definitions, research, labelling, good practice and industry showcasing. A major piece of research and a content conference will follow the release of the guidelines later this summer.