IAB AOP Late Copy Policy

Guidance for the industry

Background

Managing online inventory is complex and with some websites now reaching sell-out it is important that creative is received and tested in time in order to deliver campaigns in full. The late delivery of creative has been an ongoing problem which is causing a loss in online revenues. To address this issue, the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Association of Online Publishers (AOP) have worked with their members to agree upon an industry policy for charging where there is late delivery of online advertising creative.

Please refer to appendix i) for full policy details.

Guidance for media owners: pro-rated impressions

An overwhelming majority of media owners operate pro-rata impressions including AOL, Orange, ITV, MSN and Guardian Unlimited amongst others.

The IAB and AOP have issued the following best practice guidelines for its members:

·  The media owner should chase creative copy by email a week before campaign start date

·  The media owner should chase copy again by email and phone-call two days before campaign start date.

·  As per the policy, copy is officially late at 12 noon the day before the campaign is due to start. If the copy has not arrived by this time, the advertiser will lose impressions on a daily pro-rata basis from campaign start time until copy arrives and media owner can test and post it.

·  IAB workflow guidelines for receiving and testing copy are 3 days for standard UAP (Universal Advertising Package) formats and 5 working days for Rich Media formats, but media owners must endeavour to set up campaign as soon as possible assuming that copy has arrived correct to publisher specifications.

·  Impressions lost must be clearly communicated at the time to a senior manager at media agency

·  Full details/post-campaign analysis to be provided in writing on a regular basis to the media agency, to both the finance department and planner/buyer, for audit purposes.

See appendix ii) for a worked example

Guidance for advertisers and agencies: booking and changing campaign dates

Campaign Insertion Orders (IOs) should be signed within 48hrs of receipt.

If an advertiser needs to change the start date of a campaign- eg: because the creative is not ready or the website is not yet live – this can be done up to 10 working days before the original campaign start date.

It is recommended that agencies submit generic creative assets to media owners in various formats that can be used in place of late creative until it arrives. Industry ASA ads could also be an alternative.

Appendix

i)  IAB AOP Late Copy Policy

ii)  Worked example of best practice timeline for pro-rata charge

iii)  FAQs

Appendix i)

Late Copy Policy – version 5

Managing online inventory is complex and with some sites now reaching sell-out it is important that creative is received and tested in time in order to deliver campaigns in full.

Members of the Association of Online Publishers (AOP) and the Internet Advertising Bureau (IAB) have agreed to charge where there is late delivery of creative, from 1 April 2006, following a test period from 1 January.

Creative, correct to publishers’ specifications, should be delivered to the media owner within the standard IAB guidelines of 3 to 5 working days depending on format or to publisher specific guidelines.

Charges will be made for creative received after 12.00 on the day before the campaign start date.

Charges will be at the publisher’s discretion and can take the form of:

·  Full cost of campaign invoiced with impressions pro rated down for each day creative is not live

and/or

·  Fixed charge

Online publishers continue to strive to provide the best client service and it is hoped that these guidelines will provide the foundation for efficient and effective practices.

Appendix ii)

Best Practice timeline to show when Late Copy charges should be made based on pro-rata approach:

Wed / 26th / Last day that agency can change campaign dates
Thurs / 3rd / According to IAB Workflow guidelines, creative copy should arrive today in order to be fully tested.
Email to media agency reminding them the creative copy is due. / 5 days before campaign live date
Fri / 4th
Sat / 5th
Sun / 6th
Mon / 7th
Tues / 8th / Email and phone-call to agency reminding that creative copy is due.
Weds / 9th / Creative copy arrives at 4pm / As this is beyond midday, this copy is now late according to the IAB/AOP Late Copy policy. Media owner communicates this to a senior at the media agency.
Thurs / 10th / Planned campaign live date (Rich Media) / Impressions start to be lost at point of original live date but media owner attempts to get campaign live as soon as possible
Fri / 11th
Sat / 12th / Late campaign goes live / Impressions lost: 2 days
This is communicated to senior manager at media agency.
Sun / 13th

v  Impressions only start being lost from the original start time of the campaign and stop being lost as soon as the campaign goes live (charging is not driven by trafficking guidelines EG: if a Rich Media campaign is late the media owner should not automatically charge up to 5 days lost impressions)

Appendix iii)

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Why is the IAB/AOP doing this?

A: We have been approached by our members with evidence to suggest that late creative is significantly affecting online revenues. Online is now a mainstream medium and needs to have rigorous processes in place, as per other media, to enable efficient working practices. Effective workflow practices allow campaigns to launch on time and achieve their full potential.

Q: Why charge the media agency? Why not just charge the advertiser or creative agency?

A: The contract for media space, the IO, is between the Media Owner and the Media Agency. The Media Owner will therefore bill the Media Agency and it is at their discretion as to whether to pass it on to the Creative Agency or Advertiser.

Q: Will the whole industry be charging?

A: The main players implemented their Late Copy policies from 1st April 2006. However, some networks and smaller online publishers may not be charging yet because of the different nature of the marketplace in which they trade and may look into introducing a charge further down the line. The IAB and AOP have recommended that Media Owners’ give Media Agencies a month’s grace from the start of formal communication about their policies to commencement of charges.

Q: Will the IAB or AOP be policing this policy?

A: The IAB and AOP do not actively police the industry on issues of standards and policy. The IAB and AOP, as trade bodies for the online industry, work with their various members where necessary to compile best practice guidelines to encourage more efficient workflow practices and to tackle barriers to trade. IAB and AOP guidelines are voluntary and exist only as recommendations for the industry in order to encourage greater professionalism and thus assist growth.