• by Joe Mandese  @mp_joemandese, June 14, 2022

In an update that could have implications for future standards for measuring advertising in the metaverse, including new three-dimensional and mixed reality ad formats, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB), the IAB Tech Lab and the Media Rating Council (MRC) this morning released a long-awaited update to their in-game advertising measurement guidelines.

The update, which will be open for public comment for a 30-day period ending July 15, "incorporates new advertising formats beyond two-dimensional and video as it relates to viewability within in-game environments," the organizations said of the update, which revise standards first written in 2009.

Since then, in-game advertising and related technologies have exploded and taken on an array of new forms and experiences, some of which are deemed to be models for emerging metaverse advertising experiences, though the organizations did not imply that in their release.

"The updated standards will address ad viewability, measurement, inactivity, and fraud with intrinsic in-game ads bringing them up to par with the rest of digital media. Intrinsic in-game ads refers to native in-game or in-play ads that are placed ‘in the game’ enabling a seamless part of the gameplay environment," they said, calling out these significant updates:

• Re-examines the 10-second cumulative exposure duration for counting a valid impression including “sight, sound, and motion”, as well as 3D and virtual environments.

• Incorporates new advertising formats beyond two-dimensional and video as it relates to viewability within in-game environments.

• Defines in-game measurement terms (impressions, reach / frequency, and engagement) to align with broader cross-channel measurement efforts.

“Technology has advanced considerably since we and IAB issued our first set of guidelines for in-game ad measurement, which predated critical measurement concepts like ad viewability, so it’s crucial that we issue this update to address the accelerated growth of gaming,” MRC Executive Director and CEO George Ivie stated, adding, “Through the IIG measurement guidelines, we can now have greater consistency versus having vendors create their own rules for their measurements, which enables publisher and buyer trust as the industry works together to create a non-intrusive ad experience.”