In-game Viewability and Measurement Guidelines

AdInMo part of the industry taskforce developing new guidelines for in-game advertising. 

In a joint collaboration with IAB Tech Lab, and the Media Rating Council (MRC), IAB US has established updated measurement guidelines for ads that appear within gameplay. The release is open for public comment until July 15 2022.

In-game advertising may be the hottest ad monetization format at developer conferences right now, but it’s of course not entirely new. Advertising industry body IAB released its current standard of in-game ad measurement standards back in 2009 when games and ad technology were in a vastly different stage of development. They have remained the foundation of in-game platform development but are clearly outdated for today’s 3D gaming environments. 

As members of IAB UK, in 2021 AdInMo co-chaired a sub-working group to advocate for new measurement standards and in 2022 we are proud to be part of the taskforce led by IAB Experience Center, IAB Tech Lab and the Media Rating Council which brings together prominent in-game ad companies, brands, and agencies.

The outcome is the release of the Intrinsic In-Game Measurement Guidelines to establish updated measurement guidelines for ads that appear within gameplay. The release is now open for public comment. The updated standards address ad viewability, measurement, inactivity, and fraud with in-game ads – bringing them up to par with the rest of digital media. 

Key updates

• Re-examine the 10-second cumulative exposure duration for counting a valid impression including “sight, sound, and motion”, as well as 3D and virtual environments
• Incorporate new advertising formats beyond two-dimensional and video as it relates to viewability within in-game environments
• Define in-game measurement terms (impressions, reach / frequency, and engagement) to align with broader cross-channel measurement efforts

You can review the proposed updated guidelines here and send any questions or comments to games@iab.com until 15th July.

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