Overview[]
The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), established in 1966, is a non-profit trade organization whose members are involved in advertising on the Internet. The organization is a coalition of more than 460 media and technology companies that sell 86% of all U.S. online advertising. The IAB includes such firms as Google, Disney, The New York Times, Yahoo!, and Microsoft.
Key activities of the IAB include establishing terminology and standards for measuring advertising, conducting research relevant to electronic commerce and advertising, and addressing industry issues such as privacy and taxation.
One of the IAB’s goals is to fend off intrusive legislation. In that vein, it worked with other advertising organizations to craft voluntary guidelines for behavioral advertising, which were released in the summer of 2009.[1]
The IAB has also set guidelines for advertising in social media like Facebook and on mobile platforms, such as cell phones, iPhones and hand-held e-readers. It has tried to standardize online advertising, issuing definitions for terms like "click" and "impression" as well as ad sizes and use of techniques such as pop-up ads.
Since 2007, the IAB has maintained a database of Web creative specs submitted by publishers, with the aim of making it easier for buyers to know which publishers support what formats. This helps reduce friction points between publishers and advertisers, and improves agencies' and marketers' ability to create and deliver online ads.