The Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) wants your input on a set of Rich Media Measurement Guidelines which determine at what point a rich media ad impression is counted.

Members of the industry (advertising agencies, advertisers, online publishers and technology vendors) are encouraged to read the proposed guidelines and submit comments on the IAB site. After the 30-day comment period, the feedback will be reviewed and the guidelines will be finalized and publicly released.

“Consistent and reliable metrics play a vital role in creating efficiency in the interactive marketplace,” said Randall Rothenberg, President and CEO of the IAB. “These guidelines further establish the industry’s commitment to providing agencies and marketers with the highest possible levels of accountability and transparency.”

In keeping with the principles of the Global Ad Impression Guidelines, measurement is recorded as late as possible in the delivery of creative material to the user’s browser and therefore closest to the actual opportunity to see by the user.

Rich media advertisements are defined as those with which users can interact as opposed to solely animation, and they include such formats as transitionals and various over-the-page units such as floating ads, page take-overs and tear-backs. The guidelines, issued by the IAB’s Measurement Council, are primarily applicable to Internet media companies, ad serving organizations and rich media vendors.

“As new ad formats proliferate, it is important to maintain confidence in the currency of interactive media,” said Mike Donahue, of the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA). “We support the IAB’s continuing efforts to create guidelines which will be extremely useful to our agency members and their clients.”