Rising Stars Ad Formats Gain Widespread Global Adoption

IAB MIXX Conference & Expo 2012

NEW YORK - Less than eight months after they were made a part of the Interactive Advertising Bureau’s Standard Ad Unit Portfolio, the Rising Stars display ad units yield significantly higher interactive consumer engagement in online campaigns, according to proprietary research from the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and Moat. The study’s findings were released during the annual MIXX Conference & Expo in New York.

To measure the new units’ impact and results for brand advertisers, IAB and Moat tested 4 million ad impressions, examining five of the six Rising Stars ad formats – the Portrait, Slider, Sidekick, Billboard and Filmstrip – against two earlier IAB standard banner ad units (300×250 and 728×90).

Working with agencies BBDO, BBH, Mindshare, Razorfish and SapientNitro, the online display ad campaigns were tested from brand advertisers such as AT&T, Jeep, Unilever/Axe and Westin Hotels & Resorts. Campaigns were measured on AOL, Forbes, MSN, Viacom and Yahoo!, and they were built by DoubleClick/Google, MediaMind, Pictela and PointRoll.

Two new IAB measurement metrics were implemented to compare the Rising Stars formats versus the legacy standard units: Universal Interaction Rate (UIR), the percent of users who intentionally enter the frame of the ad for at least half a second, and Universal Interaction Time (UIT), the average amount of time users spend on the ad.

Key findings include:

• Users spent approximately 50 percent more time (UIT) interacting with an ad through the Rising Stars format (5.8 seconds) versus the legacy standard IAB ad units (3.9 seconds)
• The rate by which consumers interacted with an ad (UIR) through the Rising Stars format compared with the older IAB standard ad unit more than doubled – 9.6 percent versus 3.9 percent

“It is abundantly clear from the results of this research that the Rising Stars display ad formats not only give rise to new opportunities for global brands and digital marketers, but also bring campaign results to new heights,” said Peter Minnium, Head of Brand Initiatives, IAB. “They were introduced by the IAB as part of our new Standard Ad Unit Portfolio for this very reason. And, now the Rising Stars are the cornerstone of that offering – constituting half of the total portfolio.”

The Rising Stars program includes display units, as well as the recently released, in-market Mobile Rising Stars and the soon-to-come Digital Video Rising Stars, due early 2013.

“Click-through rates are no longer a solid measure of an interactive campaign’s true worth to a brand marketer,” said Jonah Goodheart, CEO and Co-Founder, Moat. “This is why the creation and rapid adoption of the Rising Stars units is critical to the growth of the industry. As revealed in this new research, the Rising Stars formats hit on all cylinders, delivering results in areas that will be the new crucial measures of success.”

The Rising Stars Go Global

In addition to releasing research findings, the IAB today announced that Rising Stars display formats are quickly gaining significant traction with gold-label global and regional brands. These marketers have reported impressive results for ad campaigns using various Rising Stars ad formats.

To date, one or more of the Rising Stars display formats have already been adopted on five continents and in more than 35 countries – including Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Italy, Mexico, Russia, Singapore, Taiwan, the United Kingdom and, of course, the U.S.

“Lancôme represents elegance and beauty. We needed an online ad format that would live up to this brand promise and invite user engagement. The Filmstrip did just that, with its elegant interface of large, sliding panels,” said Virginie Gerin, Digital and CRM Director, Lancôme France.

“Rising Stars initial adopters in Mexico have realized their benefits in terms of creativity and innovation,” said Gabriel Richaud, Director, IAB Mexico. “We’ve already seen major brands like Grupo Modelo (Corona), Coca-Cola, Telcel and Colgate using the Filmstrip and Billboard units, with very positive feedback. We feel confident that more examples will come in the following months and IAB Mexico will play an important role in promoting the usage of the Rising Stars among agencies and advertisers.”

“Doubling the rate of time and interactivity between the consumer and a brand is a powerful asset for digital marketers around the world,” said David Doty, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, IAB, who also heads the organization’s international efforts and partnerships. “The Rising Stars ad formats have already established their ability to be a digital industry catalyst for enhancing confidence in ad display campaign results and maximizing ROI for brands. The international momentum of adoption only reinforces that they are raising the bar.”

To view the full Rising Stars research report, please visit www.iab.net/risingstars.

About the IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 500 leading media and technology companies that are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States. On behalf of its members, the IAB is dedicated to the growth of the interactive advertising marketplace, of interactive’s share of total marketing spend, and of its members’ share of total marketing spend. The IAB educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City with a Public Policy office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.iab.net.

About Moat

Moat is a New York-based SaaS company focused on building products for brand advertisers and premium publishers. The company was founded by Jonah Goodhart, Noah Goodhart, and Michael Walrath. The serial entrepreneurs had previously partnered together to launch Right Media, which was acquired by Yahoo! in 2007. For more information on Moat, visit www.moat.com.

 

71 Distinguished Interactive Advertising Campaigns and Single Executions in 27 Categories Set the Pace for Creativity & Innovation Across All Digital Marketing

Sherwin-Williams and McKinney Win Coveted Best in Show for “Chip It!”

NEW YORK - The Interactive Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) eighth annual MIXX Awards winners were announced at a gala in New York City that brought together digital advertising’s best and brightest innovators, pioneers and leaders to recognize cutting-edge ad creative that delivered impactful results for industry brands.

Campaign and single execution winners in 27 categories were announced after a competitive process judged by an all-star lineup of cross-industry experts and professionals, which included ad agency executives, marketers, and major media brand leaders. The MIXX Awards is the only competition that evaluates all key facets of interactive marketing – including strategy, creative development and execution, media placement and integration, effectiveness and ROI, and the sole interactive awards competition judged by an all-star panel of 31 luminaries. This year’s unique and exciting award judging process was further distinguished and amplified by the awards’ first-ever Judging Panel Chair, Nick Law, Global Chief Creative Officer, R/GA.

The most coveted MIXX Award for 2012, Best in Show, went to Sherwin-Williams and McKinney for “Chip It!,” a campaign that turned people’s passion for paint color into an opportunity for them to make a lasting and meaningful connection to the Sherwin-Williams brand while driving real business results.

“We honor all MIXX Award winners – and competitors – tonight, and in turn they have honored us and graced the entire industry with the breadth and scope of their creative genius and innovation,” said Randall Rothenberg, President & CEO, IAB. “What was displayed before us was an elegant marriage of art and technology and a sparkling brush of special creativity and talent that delivers results for brands. This year’s Best in Show winner is a great example of the power of bringing creativity and technology together, in this case to turn the entire internet into a color wheel that stretches the limits of your imagination, while delivering meaningful results for a brand that was ready to help consumers capture those colorful dreams in their own homes.”

Also distinguishing this year’s MIXX Awards was the appearance of the new category, IAB Standard Rich Media Display Ad, focused on excellence in the use of the new IAB-established Rising Stars display ad formats, which provide a more brand-friendly unit.

“The rich tapestry of creative canvasses in this year’s awards reflect the latest digital advertising innovations which push the industry and brand advertising to new levels of excellence,” said David Doty, Executive Vice President and CMO, IAB. “The winning executions in the IAB Standard Rich Media Display Ad category fully attest to the undeniable importance of the IAB Rising Stars ad formats for today’s campaigns.”

The medal winners were selected from an extremely competitive set of 111 finalists from 30 countries, making this year’s selections a particularly difficult judging decision.

“It’s easy to call all the winners tonight the ‘best and the brightest’, but more apt would be the ‘bold and the beautiful’,” said Nick Law. “They have taken the digital advertising medium to new heights in creativity – with corresponding results to show for it.”

To view the complete gallery of the 2012 MIXX Award winners, please visit www.iab.net/mixxawardsgallery.

2012 MIXX Award Winners

Best in Show

Sherwin-Williams and McKinney for “Chip It!”

Brand Awareness and Positioning – Campaign
GOLD: Google Chrome, BBH NY and Google Creative Labs for “The Web Is What You Make Of It”
SILVER: American Express OPEN and Digitas for “Big Break for Small Business”
BRONZE: Gatorade and VML for “Everything to Prove”

Business-To-Business – Campaign
GOLD: American Express OPEN, Digitas and CP+B for “Small Business Saturday”
SILVER: CenturyLink and McKinney for “Ultimate Problem Solver”
BRONZE: DuPont and OgilvyEntertainment for “The Horizons Project”

Cross-Media Integration – Campaign
GOLD: Insurance Australia Group and WHYBINTBWATEQUILA for “NRMA Car Creation”
SILVER: American Honda Motor Company and RPA for “CR-V Leap List”
BRONZE: American Express and Digitas for “Amex Sync Show”

Digital Integration – Campaign
GOLD: Nike+ and R/GA for “Nike+ FuelBand”
SILVER: American Express OPEN and Digitas and CP+B for “Small Business Saturday”
BRONZE: American Express and Digitas for “Amex Sync Show”

Direct Response and Lead Generation – Campaign
GOLD: Insurance Australia Group and WHYBINTBWATEQUILA for “NRMA Car Creation”
SILVER: Zellers and john st. for “Festive Finale”
BRONZE: American Express and Digitas for “Amex Sync Show”
BRONZE: CenturyLink and McKinney for “Ultimate Problem Solver”

Experimental and Innovative – Campaign
GOLD: American Honda Motor Company and RPA for “Pintermission”
SILVER: Giant Bicycles and Leo Burnett Melbourne for “Everyday Rider Sponsorships”
BRONZE: HBO’s Boardwalk Empire Season 2 and HBO for “Boardwalk Empire Compliments of Nucky”

Mobile Advertising – Campaign
GOLD: FedEx and OMD for “Shazam Super Bowl”
SILVER: Marriott and Beeby Clark+Meyler for “Marriott Mobile App Launch”
BRONZE: Nokia’s Lumia 800 Smartphone and Amobee for “Nokia Lumia in Amobee 3D”

Mobile Branded App – Campaign
GOLD: Ubisoft Just Dance 3 and CP+B for “Autodance”
SILVER: Johnson & Johnson and JWT New York for “BAND-AID Magic Vision”
BRONZE: BMW North America’s BMW ActiveE and kbs+ New York for “BMW EVolve App”

Multicultural – Campaign
GOLD: Easy Way Language Center and Loducca for “Pronunciation Game”
SILVER: Heineken USA and The Vidal Partnership for “Keep It Legendary”
BRONZE: Johnson & Johnson and The Vidal Partnership for “Zyrtec ‘Ama El Aire’”

Product Launch – Campaign
GOLD: Unilever’s AXE and Razorfish for “Anarchy: The Graphic Novel”
SILVER: Gatorade and OMD for “G-Fit to be Tried”
BRONZE: Chrysler Group and SapientNitro for “Fiat 500 Abarth Reveal”

Public Service/Not For Profit – Campaign
GOLD: Mars Petcare and WHYBINTBWATEQUILA for “The Pedigree Adoption Drive”
SILVER: St Vincent de Paul Society and George Patterson Y&R Sydney for “Signed Finds”
BRONZE: WWF and john st. for “National Sweater Day”

Search Marketing – Campaign
GOLD: Pfizer and RAPP for “Viagra Anti-Counterfeit”
SILVER: Volkswagen and MediaCom for “Search Strikes Back”
BRONZE: Sony Pictures Entertainment and UM for “Moneyball Google/Fandango”

Social Marketing – Campaign
GOLD: Zellers and john st. for “Festive Finale”
SILVER: 7-Eleven’s Slurpee and Leo Burnett Melbourne for “BYO Cup Day”
BRONZE: Barneys and Digital Surgeons for “Gaga’s Workshop”

Video Advertising – Campaign
GOLD: American Express and Digitas for “Amex Sync Show”
SILVER: American Express, Digitas and Momentum for “American Express Unstaged”
BRONZE: L’Oréal USA’s Dermablend and Tuxedo Agency for “Go Beyond the Cover”

Brand Destination Site – Single
GOLD: Sherwin-Williams and McKinney for “Chip It!”
SILVER: Toyota Motor Sales, USA and Saatchi & Saatchi LA for “Yaris – It’s a Car!”
BRONZE: Chevrolet and Microsoft Advertising for “Chevrolet Route 66”

Branded Content – Single
GOLD: Unilever’s AXE and Razorfish for “Anarchy: The Graphic Novel”
SILVER: Sherwin-Williams and McKinney for “Chip It!”
BRONZE: General Mills and McCann for “Nature Valley Trail View”
BRONZE: Montblanc Nicolas Rieussec Chronograph and Leo Burnett Milan Italy for “The Beauty of a Second”

Custom Rich Media Display Ad – Single
GOLD: Miller Lite and Digitas for “Smack Talk Banners”
SILVER: Intel / 2nd Generation Intel Core Processors and Ansible for “The Escape iAd”
BRONZE: Telekom, Contnet AG, and Yahoo! for “Telekom Entertain. Your personal Entertain experience.”

Digital-Out-Of-Home – Single
GOLD: SKINS and VML Australia for “Quick Fit Station”
SILVER: Insurance Australia Group and WHYBINTBWATEQUILA for “NRMA Bus Shelter”
BRONZE: ASICS, Inwindow Outdoor, Vitro, OAG, and CBS Outdoor for “ASICS ING New York City Marathon Columbus Circle Subway Campaign”

Games – Single
GOLD: Toyota Motor Sales, USA’s Yaris and Saatchi & Saatchi LA for “Your Dungeon My Dragon”
SILVER: Johnson & Johnson and JWT New York for “Zyrtec Parks Unleashed”
BRONZE: Frito Lay and OMD for “Farmville”

IAB Standard Rich Media Display Ad – Single
GOLD: Lionsgate and AOL for “The Hunger Games – IAB Portrait”
SILVER: Alfa Romeo and LIQID for “Alfa Romeo Giulietta Launch – IAB Filmstrip”
BRONZE: A&E Television Networks for “The Glades – IAB Medium Rectangle”

Interactive Video – Single
GOLD: Mercedes-Benz CL-Class and AMVBBDO for “Escape the Map”
SILVER: American Express, Digitas and Momentum for “American Express Unstaged – Coldplay”
BRONZE: HBO and Definition 6 for “True Blood ‘Immortalize Yourself’ Facebook Application”

Location Based Advertising – Single
GOLD: The Home Depot, The Richards Group and Click Here for “The Home Depot – Lawn & Garden Outlook”
SILVER: Showtime and OMD for “The Franchise Fan Cave Catch”
BRONZE: adidas and iProspect for “adidas Takes Sales Back to the Streets”

Mobile Ad – Single
GOLD: Intel / 2nd Generation Intel Core Processors and Ansible for “The Escape iAd”
SILVER: Scandinavian Airlines and CP+B for “Couple up to Buckle up”
BRONZE: FedEx and OMD for “Shazam Super Bowl”

Mobile Brand Destination Site – Single
GOLD: Microsoft Corporation and iconmobile for “Windows Phone Mobile Demo Takeover”
SILVER: McDonald’s, Arc Worldwide and Leo Burnett Chicago for “You Want McDonald’s Fries With That.”
BRONZE: Toyota Motor Sales, USA and Saatchi & Saatchi LA for “The Camry Effect”

Online Commercial – Single
GOLD: Google Chrome, BBH NY and Google Creative Labs for “Dear Sophie”
SILVER: Rethink Breast Cancer and john st. for “Your Man Reminder”
BRONZE: Kraft’s Boost and Droga5 Australia for “Moreing”

Tablet Marketing – Single
GOLD: BMW North America’s BMW ActiveE and kbs+ New York for “BMW Electronauts iPad App”
SILVER: Unilever, BrightLine and Razorfish for “AXE Anarchy”
BRONZE: Lenovo and McKinney for “Boot or Bust”

Viral – Single
GOLD: American Honda Motor Company and RPA for “Matthew’s Day Off”
SILVER: john st. for “Catvertising”
BRONZE: Rethink Breast Cancer and john st. for “Your Man Reminder”

2012 MIXX Judges

Along with Nick Law, this year’s judging panel included:

• Jeff Benjamin – Chief Creative Officer, JWT North America
• Lincoln Bjorkman – Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, North America, DIGITAS
• Brad Brinegar – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, McKinney, and Founding Chairman, IAB Agency Advisory Board
• Amy Choyne – Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Kenneth Cole Productions
• Andreas Combuechen – Chairman, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Creative Officer, Atmosphere Proximity
• Emma Cookson – Chairman, BBH New York
• Mark D’Arcy – Director, Global Creative Solutions, Facebook
• Brian DiLorenzo – Executive Vice President and Chief Production Officer, McCann New York
• Marjorie Dufek – Director, Digital Marketing, Brown-Forman Corporation
• Alberto Ferrer – Managing Partner, Marketing and Operations, The Vidal Partnership
• Quentin George – Chief Innovation Officer, IPG/Mediabrands
• Jane Grenier – Vice President, Integrated Strategy, Condé Nast Media Group
• Laurie Koehler – Consumer Campaigns Manager Americas Marketing Group, Intel
• Jean-Philippe Maheu – Chief Executive Officer, Bluefin Labs
• Andy Markowitz – Director, Global Digital Strategy, General Electric Company
• DyShaun Muhammad – Senior Marketing Manager, General Mills
• Chris Needham – Vice President, Interactive, Fidelity Investments
• Benjamin Palmer – Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, The Barbarian Group
• John Piontkowski – Senior Regional Sales Director, Microsoft Advertising
• Elizabeth Pizzinato – Senior Vice President, Marketing and Communications, Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts
• Suzie Reider – Head, Industry Development, YouTube Global Video
• David Roman – Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer, Lenovo
• Alan Schulman – Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, SapientNitro New York
• Lori Senecal – Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, kbs+
• Baba Shetty – Chief Strategy Officer, Hill Holliday
• Marla Skiko – Executive Vice President and Director, Digital Innovation, SMG Multicultural
• Rick Song – Executive Vice President, National Digital Sales, Clear Channel Media + Entertainment
• Patrizio Spagnoletto – Vice President, B2B Marketing, Yahoo!
• Shane Steele – Head, Global Sales Marketing, Twitter
• Steve Wax – Partner, Ladies & Gentlemen

2012 MIXX Awards Sponsors

• Title Sponsors
  • AT&T AdWorks
  • Batanga
  • HORN
  • Martini Media
  • Microsoft Advertising
  • WildTangent
• VIP Sponsors
  • AOL
  • Glam
• Supporting Sponsors
  • 24/7 Media
  • Cognitive Match
  • Demand Media
  • Geeknet
  • Jivox
  • NBC Universal Digital Media
  • Twitter

Official Creative Production Partner

• BREAKIRON Animation & Designs

To find out more about the MIXX Conference & Expo, visit: www.iab.net/mixx.

About the MIXX Awards

Founded in 2005 to honor creativity and effectiveness in interactive advertising, the IAB’s MIXX Awards have grown into the premier honor in digital marketing. Last year’s MIXX Award winners included many of the most prominent brand marketers in the United States, including General Motors, Unilever, Diageo, Doritos, Allstate Insurance, and IBM, as well as leading agencies such as BBH New York, Durham & McKinney, Ogilvy New York, and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners. In 2011, American Express OPEN, CP+B and DIGITAS took home Best-in-Show, the gala’s top prize, for “Small Business Saturday,” a campaign that in three short weeks was able to develop and launch a brand new shopping day that consumers had never heard of, driving retail sales for small business owners at the beginning of the crucial holiday shopping season. To view the complete gallery of the 2012 MIXX category award winners and previous years’ winners, visit www.iab.net/mixxawards.

About the IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 500 leading media and technology companies that are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States. On behalf of its members, the IAB is dedicated to the growth of the interactive advertising marketplace, of interactive’s share of total marketing spend, and of its members’ share of total marketing spend. The IAB educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City with a Public Policy office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.iab.net.

 

New York, California, Washington, Massachusetts, and Illinois are the Top 5 States Where Companies Drive Digital Industry Jobs

NEW YORK - Employment in the ad-supported internet ecosystem doubled over the past four years to 5.1 million, making it one of the most dynamic sectors in the recessionary American economy, according to a study by researchers at the Harvard University Business School, commissioned by the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB). The ecosystem contributed $530 billion to the U.S. economy last year, close to double 2007 figures, and accounted for 3.7 percent of the U.S. gross domestic product (GDP), an uptick from 2.1 percent four years ago.

These key findings are from the 2012 “Economic Value of the Advertising-Supported Internet Ecosystem,” a comprehensive update to a study by the same name released by IAB in 2009, reviewing data from 2007. John Deighton, Harold M. Brierley Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business School, who helped lead the previous version, directed the current study, with Leora D. Kornfeld, Research Associate, Harvard Business School, serving as principal investigator. The research was unveiled at the annual IAB MIXX Conference in New York City to quantify the significant role the ad-supported digital sector plays in the expansion of the broader U.S. business landscape.

“The substantial economic impact of the internet — through its evolution and dynamism — has been born out by this study,” said Professor Deighton. “Once accessed only from large desktop machines that connected the office or home to the world, the internet, thanks to mobile phones and tablets, has become ubiquitous. And looking to the future, features such as constant connectivity and location sensing hold the promise of unanticipated opportunities abound for technological development and new user experiences that build on the features of constant connectivity and participation.”

The report shows New York and California as home to the headquarters of the largest number of U.S. internet firms. This result is unsurprising given the renown of Madison Avenue and Silicon Valley as digital business hubs. More light is shed upon the broad scope of the industry, revealing Washington, Massachusetts, and Illinois as the next three most digital-friendly states. In total, nine states are the sites of headquarters that account for 72 percent of attributed employment, although the jobs themselves were dispersed across other states in the union:

State						Number of Firms Headquartered in the State						Number of Employees Whose Firms are Headquartered in the State
New York						102						239,000
California						128						215,000
Washington						24						64,000
Massachusetts						29						60,000
Illinois						22						38,000
Minnesota						10						29,000
Pennsylvania						11						28,000
Arkansas						3						26,000
Colorado						8						19,000

Even more impressive perhaps is the fact that as in the prior report, every congressional district in the U.S. was home to at least a handful of companies within the internet ecosystem, and many had thousands of such companies. The services that support internet entrepreneurs have allowed businesses to be sited far from the traditional centers of industrial employment. Montana, for example, a state best known for agriculture, supports more Internet ecosystem businesses (from one-man shops to larger companies) than New York City’s 8^th congressional district, which constitutes the majority of Manhattan’s west side and southern tip, as well as parts of Brooklyn.

Sole proprietors and very small firms were cited as big winners:

• They contributed 375,000 full time equivalent jobs to the 2 million in the internet ecosystem.
• Many were selling on Amazon, eBay and Etsy. Many others were self-employed web designers, writers and programmers.
• App development alone accounted for 35,000 full-time equivalent jobs, and the number of moonlighters was an order of magnitude larger.
• Job creation was highly dispersed, with less growth in aggregate and in percentage terms in the megaplexes of Google, Microsoft and Yahoo! than in the tiny entrepreneurial ventures across every state and county, which themselves are enabled by cloud computing, merchant platform services such as Amazon, brokers such as Craigslist, advertising media like YouTube, small finance providers like Kickstarter, payment facilitators such as Square, and social networks, recommendation engines, and search engines that have helped small sellers to find customers even though they lack the resources to build broadly recognized brands.

“The rapid growth of the ad-supported internet has become a major driver in the U.S. economy,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO, IAB. “All this, despite a challenging economic climate. With encouragement from regulators and legislators in Washington, D.C. and other world capitals, there is no doubt that the interactive marketplace will bring an even greater number of jobs into the fold – not only in America, but across the globe — providing strong economic value in the years to come.”

“The extraordinary work by Professor Deighton and his team shows very clearly that the thriving internet ecosystem, sustained by digital advertising, is a powerful, economic engine for the overall U.S. economy,” said Sherrill Mane, Senior Vice President, Research, Analytics and Measurement, IAB. “Job creation and sustained economic growth along with the many socially positive outcomes enabled by this ecosystem are a testament to the interactive industry’s creativity and innovation.”

The study also looked at the employment and economic impact of the ad-supported internet by company sector. The research divided the internet ecosystem into 12 different types of companies, within which four different category layers were identified to determine the meaningful revenue and employment figures:

• Infrastructure Layer
  • Transmission and connectivity providers
  • Hardware manufacture
• Infrastructure Support Layer
  • Internet enabling services
  • Software manufacture
• Consumer Support Services Layer
  • Consumer support services
  • Marketing support
  • Navigation
  • B2B internet commerce
  • Enterprise staffs
• Consumer Services Layer
  • Content sites
  • E-commerce
  • Social networks

The biggest increase in jobs over the four-year period was seen within the infrastructure (300%) and consumer support service (229%) layers, although consumer services still ranks as the area with highest employment number (885,000).

The ad-supported digital industry directly employs 2 million Americans, and indirectly employs a further 3.1 million in other sectors.

Layer					2007 Direct Employment					2011 Direct Employment					Percent Growth
Infrastructure					140,000					420,000					300%
Infrastructure Support					165,000					254,000					54%
Consumer Support Services					190,000					435,000					229%
Consumer Services					520,000					885,000					65%
TOTAL					1,015,000					1,999,000					197%

Note: the 2011 numbers are smaller than the 5.1 million jobs referred to above because they show direct employment, not direct and indirect employment. The ad-supported digital industry directly employs 2 million Americans, and indirectly employs a further 3.1 million in other sectors.

“One of the most striking findings of this report is that growth was fast in the consumer-facing layer, but that it was even faster in the less glamorous infrastructure layer that supports the high-profile brand name sites and services” said Professor Deighton. “Jobs grew fastest in digital advertising agencies, ad networks, ad exchanges, customer analytics firms, and listening platforms. The engine of growth was not just consumer-facing companies like Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, but also firms that used the data spun off by them.”

Google, 24/7 Media Inc. and ValueClick helped underwrite the third-party research for the 2012 “Economic Value of the Advertising-Supported Internet Ecosystem.”

To read the full study, please go to http://www.iab.net/economicvalue.

Methodology

The report uses three methods to provide data that, together with reasonable assumptions, can be used to estimate the U.S. domestic economic activity attributable to the advertising-supported internet ecosystem: computing the number of jobs that depend on the existence of the Internet and estimate the salaries and wages paid to these jobs; computing payments to firms for internet services, viewing the internet as if it were an island exporting to the rest of the economy; and valuing the time that users spend on the internet at its marginal value. It follows, to the extent possible, the structure and method of the earlier study, published in 2009 based on data from 2007. This update relies on data from 2011 and, when available, from the first two quarters of 2012. Note that a marginally different set of categories was applied to the 2011 internet ecosystem to reflect structural changes, and the 2007 employment was corrected from 1.2 million to 1.015 million to reflect a computation error in the earlier report.

About the IAB

The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) is comprised of more than 500 leading media and technology companies that are responsible for selling 86% of online advertising in the United States. On behalf of its members, the IAB is dedicated to the growth of the interactive advertising marketplace, of interactive’s share of total marketing spend, and of its members’ share of total marketing spend. The IAB educates marketers, agencies, media companies and the wider business community about the value of interactive advertising. Working with its member companies, the IAB evaluates and recommends standards and practices and fields critical research on interactive advertising. Founded in 1996, the IAB is headquartered in New York City with a Public Policy office in Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.iab.net.

Devil Unit Continues to Perform Better Than Industry Average

TORONTO - AOL (NYSE: AOL) announced the launch of Project Devil 2, the next phase of AOL’s continued focus on innovation in premium branded display. Project Devil, launched in the U.S. in September 2010 at Advertising Week, and in Canada in April 2011, was AOL’s foray into revolutionizing premium display on the Web. After two years of advertiser input across categories including Entertainment, Retail, CPG, Finance, and Travel, AOL has added to its portfolio of premium ad units. The new 300×1050 has two applications within the unit, allowing the brand marketer to utilize a larger high-definition brand asset in the top module to drive a more enhanced experience for consumers. A smaller 300×600 unit features one large application. AOL has also added support for additional IAB Rising Stars display ad units such as the Filmstrip and Billboard to its diverse portfolio. The announcement was made at Advertising Week 2012 taking place in New York City, October 1-5, 2012.

The Pictela Management Center, a content management system to simplify the creation, serving, and optimization of high-impact advertising across browser, mobile, and tablet formats via a single creative process, has also evolved with new creative tools for agencies and publishers to drive more operational scale and make it even easier for them to design ads within a single interface.

“Just two years ago, we launched Project Devil, a premium display ad unit that re-imagined the intersection between content, advertising, and the consumer experience, radically improving the aesthetic quality, impact, and interactivity of online brand advertising,” said Tim Armstrong, Chairman and CEO, AOL. “Product innovation continues to be a huge focus at AOL. Today, with the launch of Project Devil 2, we are evolving not only the format, but the powerful Pictela platform as well, based on the intelligence we have gained over the past two years running campaigns for brand marketers.”

Performance Metrics and Vertical Applications

Since its launch in 2010, the Devil unit has delivered outstanding metrics for marketers. Recent data over a six-month period*, for example, shows an average Interaction Rate (ITR) of 5.18% and an average Interaction Time of 24 seconds. A recent AOL Canada/EyeTrackShop study measuring the Devil ad against the standard big box unit showed four times higher brand recall and two times higher offline brand engagement**.

As AOL has worked closely over the past 24 months with marketers in various industries, the company has also created specific applications for marketers in each category. For example, in the Retail and CPG verticals, the media gallery app, recipe app, store locator, and coupon app continue to produce successful results while showcasing assets that the marketer in most cases has already created and is repurposing.

“Through our work with marketers and advertisers over the past two years, we’ve realized each industry has very unique needs in branded display – and this has helped us drive innovation in various applications for categories including Autos, Entertainment, Retail, and Finance,” said Sanjay Jain, Chief Technology Officer, Pictela. “With Project Devil 2, our product strategy continues to be focused on the transformation from ad formats to ad solutions.”

Scaling Premium Formats across the Web

Earlier this year, Pictela launched the beta version of Pictela Enterprise in the U.S., a technology platform that gives advertising agencies a clean, simple, guided self-service interface to manage all their clients’ brand assets and efficiently serve them into premium online display. Beta partners have provided valuable feedback over the past six months, and Pictela Enterprise is expected to launch in beta in Canada shortly, and move into general availability by the end of 2012.

All Pictela units are certified across all AOL’s owned and operated properties and AOL is actively working to bring the Devil unit to other Publishers in Canada.

Pictela technology powers all the ad units in the IAB Standard Ad Unit Portfolio named at the IAB Annual Leadership Conference in February 2012, including Billboard, Filmstrip, Portrait, and Pushdown.

To learn more about other announcements by AOL and where AOL executives are speaking at Advertising Week 2012, visit advertising.aol.com/advertisingweek.

*Devil benchmarks from 1H12 Performance Benchmark Report, AOL Internal Data

**Source: AOL Canada/EyeTrackShop advertiser study (Devil vs. Big Box, May 2012)

About AOL

AOL Inc. (NYSE: AOL) is a brand company committed to continuously innovating, growing, and investing in brands and experiences that inform, entertain, and connect the world. The home of a world-class collection of premium brands, AOL creates original content that engages audiences on a local and global scale. We help marketers connect with these audiences through effective and engaging digital advertising solutions.

CEOs, CMOs, Founders Join Stars of Creative, Data, Entertainment, Mobile, Social at 9^th Edition of World’s Largest Industry Event

Frank Abagnale, Naomi Campbell, Pete Cashmore, Frank Cooper, Whoopi Goldberg, Chris Hardwick, Craig Hatkoff, Arianna Huffington, Jon Kamen, David Karp, Bill Morris, L.A. Reid, Andrew Shue, Among 2012 Roster

NEW YORK - Advertising Week, the world’s largest annual gathering of advertising, marketing and media industry leaders, returns to New York City October 1^stthrough 5^th with its annual program of thought leadership seminars; marquee evening events; AWE, an all-new technology expo; and a series of industry trade association led programs that are synonymous with The Week.

Times Square has evolved as a true headquarters for Advertising Week.

• The Times Center, Nederlander Theatre & Liberty Theater (West 41^st); BB King’s and New York Public Library (West 42^nd) NASDAQ (West 43^rd) Best Buy Theater (West 44^th) and Aspen Social Club (West 47^th) all host major events
• Amazon’s Leadership Breakfast and Operation Deploy, a new initiative to employ veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars in the advertising business, kick off The Week first thing Monday, October 1
• Mobile & Social are at the forefront with Seminars by ESPN Mobile, BuzzFeed, Facebook, Google +, LinkedIn, Twitter & Tumblr
• MASSIVE block includes YouTube, The Nerdist, and The Jim Henson Company + the MASSIVE Roundtable
• “Catch Me If You Can” legend Frank Abagnale headlines “Mission Impossible: Truth & Privacy”
• MLB Advanced Media’s Bob Bowman bats leadoff at the Advertising Week Data Congress
• Funkmaster Flex, Rita Ora, Busta Rhymes, Lupe Fiasco and Friars Club “RoastMaster” Jeffrey Ross all perform live

“We have listened to our Delegates and delivered what they want . . . A fortified program which is easy to navigate on every platform,” said Advertising Week Executive Director, Matt Scheckner.

This year features a revamped web site, www.advertisingweek.com, and a new app (Free for iOS and Android) which helps both navigate and gamify Advertising Week, as well as a Times Square-only venue package. Additionally, Advertising Week registration has moved from The Times Center to the Liberty Theater.

Brand new to the Advertising Week lineup in 2012 is the Advertising Week Experience (AWE), a showcase of leading edge technologies which are reshaping the industry in real time. AWE features a blend of established, marquee technology players led by Adobe, AT&T, LG and Microsoft (which is premiering Windows 8 at AWE) with a host of start-ups. The Huffington Post will be streaming live from AWE all Week as the bellwether of an expanded streaming initiative to extend the reach of Advertising Week thought leadership content.

“We’ve heard one thing loud and clear from marketers over the past year. To stay ahead of the competition they need deep understandings and insights on new ways to engage their customers,” said Bob Greenberg, former Panasonic CMO and Chief Curator of AWE. “With the role of technology now more important as ever, decision-makers need to learn the latest and greatest or perish. AWE is going to take the marketing and advertising space by storm.”

More Advertising Week 2012 Highlights

Seminar content blocks and highlights include NASDAQ Tech Futures and TIME Presents: Agency CEO’s Talk Tech, the Massive Track (Madison Avenue + Silicon Valley + Hollywood), and Chegg’s Class Is In Session Executive Education track, as well as other content developed exclusively for Advertising Week with such diverse media partners asBloomberg, CNBC, Fast Company, Mashable, Telemundo, and Wired.

CEO’s and CMO’s are participating in The Week from several companies including Adobe, AOL, AMC Networks, AT&T, BuzzFeed, Chegg, Condè Nast, Facebook, Fast Company, Home Depot, The Huffington Post, Jcrew, Lenovo, L’Oreal, MasterCard, Mashable, NCC Media, PwC, Pepsi, Time Inc., Tumblr, Twitter and Weight Watchers.

New corporate and media partners for 2012 include Adobe, Acxiom, Amazon, AMC Networks, Catalina, Chegg, Criteo, Daily Motion, Grab Media, incite/Loud Digital, Machinima, Pandora, PRN, Telemundo, Terra Networks, Time Inc., Tumblr, Twitter, The Weather Channel, and Wired. Returning partners include AOL, AT&T Adworks,Bloomberg, Delta Sky Media, Facebook, Fast Company, Google, LinkedIn, Microsoft, NCC Media, and Time Warner Cable

Seminar & Other Highlights

• Bloomberg’s Leadership Summit features top brass from Catalina, CBSi, Havas, Pepsi, Time Warner Cable & Tumblr
• Whoopi Goldberg leads Tribeca Film Festivals’ “The Future of Film” joined by filmmaker Fisher Stevens, ESPN & GE
• “Under the Influence: The Convergence of Media and Influence” presents redefine how advertisers & consumer communicate – - w/ Facebook, Fast Company, Kraft, Mashable, MediaVest, MTV & Twitter
• Nile Rodgers hits the “High Notes of Creativity” with Draftfcb & Billboard
• Paul Lavoie’s “La Table de Cuisine” opens the first-ever Advertising Week Film Festival
• NY Times CEO Summit features iconic Rao’s owner, Frank Pellegrino, with industry luminaries Tim Armstrong, Bob Greenberg, Laura Lang, Dan Rosensweig and Josh Sapan
• Arianna Huffington tops AT&T AdWorks “CEO Connectors”
• Fast Company & The Lighthouse Company’s Talent Summit features Bill Morris, Director of Olympic Ceremonies London 2012 and Paradigm Head of Personal appearances, Ed Micone
• MediaPost’s OMMA suite of thought leadership programs sweep back into Advertising Week
• Chegg leads a day-long block of Seminars headlined by Columbia, MIT and NYU’s Stern School
• Tumblr & AMC Networks dial back to the Mad Men era for the GeneratioNext Wrap Party at BB King’s

In addition, more than 30 trade associations stage seminars and special events during The Week as well. These include:

• The AAF’s Mosaic Conference and Awards return once again
• The Advertising Club of New York’s annual kick-off luncheon honors AT&T
• The ARF’s People Forum: The Modern Family features an afternoon of panels with executives from Walmart, BET Network, the U.S. Census Bureau … Just one of a series of programs led by the ARF
• Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) celebrates its 100^th anniversary with a special luncheon at Gotham Hall
• IAB’s MIXX Conference and Awards returns with a potent line-up including Marc Andreesen and Sheryl Sandberg
• The Mobile Marketing Association (MMA) debuts SM2 2012, the official mobile marketing conference of The Week
• The One Club presents “Where Are All the Black People?” (Part 3)
• Radio Advertising Bureau’s Radio Mercury Awards returns — the only major awards competition devoted to radio

Additional trades staging seminars during The Week include the 4A’s, Ad Council, ASRC, ANA, CAB, and TVB.

Those wishing to attend Advertising Week 2012 can register now as Delegates or Super Delegates at www.advertisingweek.com. Delegates may experience AWE and attend a broad array of Seminars at BB King’s, NASDAQ, The Times Center, Liberty Theater and Nederlander Theatre. Registration now also includes a “Print @ Home” option for the first time.

Super Delegate gain credentialed entry to special Advertising Week events including:

• Opening Night Concert at the Best Buy Theater, featuring Busta Rhymes, Funkmaster Flex & Rita Ora
• AT&T AdWorks, LinkedIn and Wired Connects nightly networking and cocktail
• Battle of the Ad Bands and DJ’s presented by Buzz-Media and Collective Media at the Highline Ballroom
• Microsoft Live! featuring Lupe Fiasco at Webster Hall
• Stand Up Live! featuring RoastMaster General, Jeffrey Ross
• Tumblr’s GenerationNext Wrap Party celebrating the Mad Men era with AMC Networks

For more information or to register for media credentials visit www.advertisingweek.com.

About Advertising Week:

Since its creation in 2004, Advertising Week has drawn more than one million participants from around the world to New York City for a week long hybrid of events built on thought leadership. Evening events celebrate the ties of advertising and popular culture with star talent. Beyond enlightenment & entertainment, the mission of The Week is to inspire young people to join the craft; focus on the social impacts of advertising; address the most important issues facing the industry and shine a bright light on the business and economic influence of the advertising, media and marketing industries.