New York, NY – June 17, 2002 – The Sponsorship Committee of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) the leading voice of the interactive advertising and marketing industry, today announced an ongoing initiative intended to increase awareness, understanding, confidence and the use of interactive sponsorships by marketers. In addition to working toward establishing guidelines and best practices, the committee is in the midst of defining the methodology to be used in a research study in conjunction with various marketers’ sponsorship campaigns.
“One of the least understood, yet widely used form of interactive advertising is the sponsorship,” said IAB President & CEO, Greg Stuart. “Historically, the IAB/PricewaterhouseCoopers Internet Ad Revenue Report has reported sponsorships as accounting for approximately a quarter to a third of the ad formats used by marketers, yet the format is so misunderstood that it isn’t accounted for in some interactive advertising revenue reports. As we continue to provide the research that validates the use of interactive advertising, this effort will add to and is intended to validate the use of the format by marketers.”
For the past five years, the IAB/PricewaterhouseCoopers Internet Ad Revenue Report has reported Sponsorships’ share of total revenue as:
| 1997 | 37% |
| 1998 | 33% |
| 1999 | 27% |
| 2000 | 28% |
| 2001 | 26% |
Chaired by Studio One Networks’ CEO Andrew Susman, the Sponsorship Committee members include representatives from AOL, Microsoft, Next Century Media, Primedia and Yahoo!
Commenting on the work of the committee, Mr. Susman noted, “We know that sponsorships are a very viable format, and the work in front of us is intended to underscore their importance and effectiveness for marketers. Over the next few months we intend to establish guidelines that recognize the unique characteristics of interactive sponsorships and provide data designed to increase the use of the format. To that end, we are fortunate to have a working committee with such broad collective Internet marketing experience.”
About the IAB
Founded in 1996, the IAB is the leading interactive advertising association and represents companies that sell over 75% of online advertising, including AOL, CNET Networks, DoubleClick, MSN, Walt Disney Internet Group, Yahoo, and many others. Its activities include evaluating and recommending standards and practices, fielding research to document the effectiveness of the interactive medium and educating the advertising industry about the use of interactive advertising. Membership includes companies that are actively engaged in the sale of interactive advertising.
Contact:
Marla Nitke IAB
