IAB releases "playbook" for "native advertising"

What used to be called "advertorial" (ads imitating stories) is now called "native advertising" and it has been a bit of a wild west out there, with no one knowing what the standards or rules were. Well, in its role as the new sheriff in town, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) has prepared the IAB Native Advertising Playbook", which is available for download. 

Though mostly concentrating on the web and the interface between traditional TV and the internet, the new standards bear on what print and digital magazines do, too. 

“Marketers are already embracing native strategies and publishers are looking for a roadmap that will allow them to take full advantage of the trend,” said Peter Minnium, Head of Brand Initiatives, IAB. “The more we can define and structure the framework surrounding native advertising, the easier we will make it for brands to easily incorporate it into their ad buys.”

“I firmly believe that advertising on the modern internet will be defined by meaningful content, not standard ads. There’s a movement happening, away from interruptive, traditional ads, and towards thoughtful brand stories — and native ads are the most potent and effective distribution strategy for content-based advertising,” said Dan Greenberg, Founder and CEO, Sharethrough, and Co-Chair, IAB Native Advertising Task Force.