The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released the Revised Ad Unit and Rich Media Creative Guidelines. By providing the industry with a common minimum set of creative specifications, these
revised guidelines help simplify the online ad buying process, according to the IAB.
The guidelines include minimums for common ad formats and sizes such as banners and buttons as
well as transitional and various over-the-page units such as floating ads, page takeovers and tear-backs. They define rich media as separate from basic animated ads by requiring interaction aside from
the ability to click-through. Cover ads delivered into standard Web environments including email and static and dynamic Web pages; and finally update the minimum file sizes of the 2002 Universal Ad
Package (found at www.iab.net/UAP).
Simultaneous with the release of the guidelines, the IAB today launched a compliance program for interactive publishers that adhere to the Rich Media Creative
requirements. Publishers will display an IAB Rich Media Creative Compliance Seal on their Web sites and will also be listed on the IAB website. To date, 32 companies are already compliant with the
guidelines. For a complete list of those companies, go to: www.iab.net/Rich_Media_Compliant.
--Tanya Irwin