For the past seven years, I have focused on the growth and adoption of Ad-ID. It started with a vision and now Ad-ID is the industry standard for the registration of advertising assets across all media platforms and is recognized as the uniform unique ad asset identifier. Yet, in an industry where data is ubiquitous, best practices and processes for asset identification were almost non-existent before the launch of Ad-ID. Now, embedded metadata in creative assets has taken center stage because of the significant benefits that extend far beyond the registration and identification of ads.
There is no greater evidence of Ad-ID’s relevancy in the modern marketplace than the fireside chat that took place at the IAB’s recent MIXX conference between the ANA’s Bob Liodice, the 4A’s Nancy Hill, and the IAB’s Randall Rothenberg. They spoke about how Ad-ID is a key part of a framework for enhanced cross-platform interoperability, measurement, and operational efficiency. Ad-ID has already made major strides in adoption in broadcast commercials so now we plan to devote more resources towards the broader use of Ad-ID in digital video advertising in order to reverse the chaos that exists within the digital video supply chain.
Case in point: Digital video asset data, decoding/encoding, and distribution processes are extremely fragmented with no standards or best practices in place. To achieve scale across all screens and devices, delivery of the original video asset (the mezzanine file) with a unique ID and “digital slate”embedded metadatais critical. Ad-ID makes this possible via our schema for the Extensible Metadata Platform (XMP) which is an open standard that enables metadata to be embedded in a variety of different file formats that are used throughout the industryand can enable more interoperability-focused APIs. XMP and embedded metadata is the backbone of Ad-ID and ensures that the asset’s identity is accurately preserved across platforms. But for meaningful interoperability, metadata needs to flow freely and seamlessly.
Thankfully, the perfect “partner” to make this a reality already exists: The IAB’s VAST 3.0 (Digital Video Ad Serving Template). I’m happy to report that Ad-ID and the IAB are currently working together to develop the mechanism for the transport of metadata via VAST 3.0 to enable cross-platform interoperability and enhanced operational efficiency for digital video. (I will be speaking at the IAB’s Ad Operations Summit on November 3rd in New York City on this very topic.) We’re exploring all the different ways that Ad-ID metadata can reinforce VAST 3.0.
But let’s think bigger: Integrating Ad-ID metadata in digital video assets provides capabilities beyond interoperability and streamlined processes. By aligning the metadata between TV commercials and digital video ads (70% of all digital video ads are repurposed from commercials), brand marketers can finally analyze campaigns and ROI using comparable metrics. They can track performance across multiple platforms and devices on the creative asset level. That’s a huge win for everyone: buyers, sellers, and the vendors who support them.
As Randall said during the fireside chat, “You need systems, you need processes, and you need maturity and sophistication if you are going to grow profitable businesses.” At Ad-ID, we couldn’t agree more.
To hear more on this topic, join me at the IAB Ad Operations Summit: Spotlight Transformation on Monday, November 3.