What are the IAB Display Standards?
The IAB Display Standards are a set of six ad sizes that are offered by the majority of online publishers in the UK. The IAB recommends that all publishers offer these formats as a minimum and that advertisers primarily use this set of standard sizes for their campaigns.
Why do we need standards?
We need standards because they help simplify internet advertising for all parties. TV, cinema and radio have one basic display format, while print and outdoor have a limited number of sizes. Online advertising has well over 40 ad formats, each with many variations and different names. Advertisers and planners want to maximise their time and spend, which means using the same ads across as many sites as possible to efficiently extend reach – standards achieve this. Standards also simplify the publisher operations process with standardised names and sizes. This creates less confusion, fewer revisions to ads and clearer reporting. In a medium that allows for unlimited options, standards are an essential part of a mature and consistent medium to continue driving growth.
Why were these sizes selected?
The six sizes were chosen because they met the four key criteria for being selected as a standard:
1. Publisher adoption: the ad sizes had to be offered by the majority of the UK’s top online publishers.
2. Market use: the ad sizes had to already be in popular use by brands.
3. Efficiency: the ad sizes had to be efficient at delivering results for a wide range of campaign types such as brand awareness and direct response.
4. International standards: we carefully selected ad sizes that were already standard sizes in other markets. For example, the UK standard sizes are also standards in the US, making international campaigns easier to run.
Is this good for consumers?
Yes. This is absolutely a good move for consumers because:
The internet can be a cluttered place and consistency across websites is important for usability. Standardised advertising goes a long way to helping standardise website layouts too, improving the user browsing experience.
Importantly, the new larger formats like the Half Page Ad physically reduce clutter because there is less space on the page for it to exist. Removing clutter improves the user experience by reducing the number of messages crammed onto the screen at any one time.
