Standardised ads are essential to industry.

New Media Age, August, 2003 by Danny Meadows-Klue

Every media channel needs standard formats, it makes them easy to use. Which is why many of us were concerned by last week's letter that suggested the industry shouldn't bother (NMA 31 July).

The role of the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is to grow this market and make the companies in it more successful Our starting point is a strategic analysis of the barriers to industry growth, which we research through the Online Pulse six-monthly survey and weekly roundtables, among others.

These highlight numerous issues that need to be tackled, out of which the industry develops the standards and research programmes for the IAB. We currently have more than 60 live projects.

One of the issues we do hear about from our clients is that the advertising...