IAB decides apps format is too young for ad standards
Published July 21, 2010
While many marketers are increasingly using applications to reach consumers, AdWeek reports the Interactive Advertising Bureau has decided the format is still too experimental to establish ad standards.
Many agencies use a 300-by-50 display size for in-app ads, though there are variances depending on the platform. Some ads are optimized for Apple's platforms, such as the much-larger iPad. Further, expandable formats also differ greatly from publisher to publisher. For example, some weigh in at 5 kilobytes, while others are up to three times that size.
"Any effort to promote simplification of ad formats must make it easier or cheaper to produce creative for the medium, without stifling creativity of those designing content or advertising for that medium," the IAB wrote in a report released earlier this week.
Still, the IAB found the format's segmented ad market was slowly moving toward unity, indicating standards for this format will soon be revisited. In the meantime, it advises marketers to use mobile-specific landing pages, keep file sizes small and build ads for specific devices.
Apps on smartphones are becoming more popular, making it an important platform for agencies to consider when planning digital marketing campaigns. According to comScore, app usage has increased by 112 percent from 2009. 