• by Gavin O'Malley , Staff Writer @mp_gavin, September 27, 2016

Hoping to get ad buyers and sellers on the same page, the DMA on Tuesday unveiled a “cross-device identity solutions RFI template.”

The “exposure draft” outlines many of the questions that marketers and publishers are currently asking -- or should be asking -- about cross-device vendors, along with a list of relevant terms and definitions.

The effort was largely inspired by the current communication gap between tech buyers and sellers, according to David Kohl, DMA’s Cross-Device ID program leader and CEO of Morgan Digital Ventures.

“This RFI makes it easier for these two groups to align cross-device needs,” Kohl stated.

A recent survey of DMA members found that about 70% identified cross-device identification as their biggest challenge.

The RFI was released during Advertising Week’s opening day in a series of three sessions titled “Truths and Lies with Cross-Device ID.”

The release was the first of three “tour stops” scheduled throughout the fall, during which the DMA hopes to get its message out.

More broadly, the ongoing mobile revolution is forcing trade groups to reassess their policies and prescriptions for marketers. Just this week, the IAB released a total overhaul of its “Standard Ad Unit Portfolio” for public comment.

The point of the changes is to “put user experience, control, and cross-device behaviors first,” Randall Rothenberg, head of the IAB, said regarding the release.

Among other mobile-centric changes, the makeover allows for creative to adjust to various screen sizes and resolution capabilities.