instant history

MediaPost reports that a consortium of eight major advertisers have created a standard for auditing online ad clicks ... and intend to enforce it.

From the article:

The Interactive Advertising Bureau in 2004 issued ad measurement guidelines setting specific rules for when and how an ad impression is counted, as well as procedures for the auditing and certification process. Last spring, the IAB also announced guidelines for broadband video commercials, stating that a video ad should not be counted as displayed until its buffered stream has begun.

Newspapers, especially those that try to handle their own advertising, should take note, says one exec:

Kimberly-Clark's Santeler noted that smaller online publishers need to be on board too. "We can get pretty vertical with our branding, so major publishers may not be the sites we choose to use," he said.