• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, October 3, 2011

The IAB today introduced what it calls the first tablet buyer's guide for the U.S. mobile marketplace to help advertisers and agencies clarify issues on planning, design, execution and measurement of three specific types of display advertising:

In-App Ads - Ads delivered in apps downloaded to and resident on the tablet

Tablet Web Ads in PC-Optimized Websites - Ads served to consumers using tablet web browsers, but browsing websites designed with the PC audience in mind

Tablet Web Ads in Tablet-Optimized Websites - Ads served to consumers using tablet web browsers, in web pages designed specifically for tablet-based browsers.

With a lack of standard units and lack of Flash support on the iPad, the IAB proposes potential solutions including leveraging prevailing ad formats (that is, nonstandard but common sizes), and exploring sponsorships rather than ad-unit buys and working closely with media company partners.

On Monday, the IAB also released a new study on the state of mobile measurement, highlighting some of the challenges marketers face when it comes to evaluating campaign performance in the medium. Fragmentation across carriers, devices and operating systems continues to be a drag on the growth of mobile advertising."

And, unlike the traditional Web--where the main variables have been monitor size and browser--mobile measurement must also deal with three discrete channels: the mobile web, mobile apps and texting. It also throws in new metrics including "location."