The FreeWheel Council for Premium Video (FWC), which represents Comcast and others, is calling for the adoption of a universal standard for managing cross-platform ad campaigns.
The FWC – whose members also include A+E Networks, Discovery, Fox, NBCUniversal, Turner and Univision – said increased fragmentation of TV and video viewing has increased the need for universal creative standards. The group advocating for the use of Ad-ID, which is owned jointly by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4As) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).
“Establishing a universal standard through Ad-ID is one of the most effective improvements that can be done to drive scale in a converged world of premium video,” said James Rothwell, vice president of global agency, brand and industry relations at FreeWheel, in a statement. “This single step can have hugely positive implications on downstream processes and the performance of cross-screen campaigns and the FWC urges the industry to embrace this standard as soon as possible.”
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FWC said that using a universal advertising identification standard can reduce the need to re-identify creative assets and cut down on human error. It also said that demand- and supply-side ad servers can cut back on storage and that a common identifier can make for more efficient use of advertising inventory.
“Ad-ID is important to both the linear television and the digital ecosystem, and its adoption is a decisive step in the right direction.” said Peter Olsen, executive vice president of ad sales at A+E Networks, in a statement. “Including Ad-ID in digital creative will improve our viewers’ experience and create greater transparency for our clients and agencies, ensuring that their ads will be presented in a clutter-free, brand safe environment. It’s a win-win for all – marketers, buyers, sellers and, most importantly, the consumer – delivering a better advertising user experience across hundreds of ad delivery end points."
Brad Epperson, senior vice president of sales operations at NBCUniversal, added in a statement, “As the future of advertising becomes more complex, we must have a unified standard for advertising metadata. The Universal Ad-ID makes it easier for the buy side and the sell side to navigate the commercial workflow. We're proud to join Ad-ID and FreeWheel to move the industry one step closer to reflecting our all-screen world.”