How SafeFrame Plans to Replace iFrames for Advertisers

RMN Digital | November 24, 2012 | Americas, Backend, Corporate, Enterprise, Regions, Strategy | No Comments

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has released for public comment SafeFrame 1.0, specifications that provide advertisers with the ability to measure viewability, as well as obtain new insights and more accurately assess an ad campaign’s success.

Developed by a working group of digital technology experts from 21 IAB member companies belonging to the IAB Technology Council, SafeFrame 1.0 is a set of technical protocols that enable website publishers to safely manage content served from external sources, such as ads, while preventing external access to potentially sensitive consumer data.

In particular, SafeFrame 1.0 offers mechanisms to support the ability to measure whether or not impressions are viewable.

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Viewable impressions are the foundational element of Making Measurement Make Sense (3MS), a cross-ecosystem initiative to propose new industry standard metrics and advertising “currency” that will enhance evaluation of digital media and facilitate cross-platform comparison for brand marketing.

SafeFrame Technology

The adoption of the SafeFrame specifications will be critical for implementation of these 3MS standards, believes IAB.

“The growing demand from advertisers and publishers for delivering and measuring ‘viewable impressions’ required the creation of these specifications,” said Steve Sullivan, VP, Ad Technology, IAB.

“Powered by SafeFrame 1.0, 3MS will be able to deliver that important metric. In addition, SafeFrame enables a myriad of other advances that will produce increased revenue opportunities for publishers and vendors alike.”

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To review a copy of the public comment version of the specifications, you can visit www.iab.net/safeframe.

The deadline for public comment is Dec. 21, 2012. Once the public comment period closes, the IAB Technology Council will meet to evaluate comments, make any needed changes to the draft API protocols, and release a final version.