The first of its kind, the ADM audience measurement guidelines reflect a defined approach to assist advertisers and sponsors of audio and video podcasts, distributed digital content including web and mobile downloads, with criteria to measure listener/viewer numbers.  The ad unit standards are the first in a series of formats that content producers can offer to monetize their shows so that buyers can run the same creative across many individual shows and various networks. Having ad standards in downloadable media allows media campaigns to scale across hundreds of thousands of offerings.

“In The Podcast Consumer Revealed 2008 study derived from the Arbitron/Edison Media Research Internet and Multimedia study – podcast consumers are extremely attractive advertising targets and the industry is seeing a significant surge in listeners who knowingly select a program (rather than passively consuming whatever is available via traditional media), downloading it and potentially moving it to a portable device.  This enhanced level of engagement with the programs and hosts of the shows they select may translate to an increased credibility and level of trust for the show’s sponsors and advertisers.

The ratified guidelines have been accepted by the ADM Ad Council, a special fourteen-member interactive advertising agency liaison group, which acts as a sounding board for the ADM committees.  The Ad Council group insures the ADM standards and guidelines dovetail with prevailing digital advertising best practices.

The Advertising Unit Standards include three kinds of formats –  Insertions, Content Participation and Collateral. The units outlined in the document are the most common set of existing formats in use today by sponsors and content producers. The ADM has plans to innovate new formats in the future, but this initial version of the Standards serves to organize the common set to make it most available to buyers industry wide.

INSERTIONS

Definition:  A separate ad file that is attached, inserted, or edited into an audio or video podcast.

Time: Up to :10, :15, 30 or :60 seconds

Location: Pre-roll; mid-roll; post-roll

CONTENT PARTICIPATION

Definition:  When an advertiser’s message is included as part of the audio or video podcast content.

Examples:

1. Underwritten Sponsorship

2. Scripted Live Read

3. Talking Points

4. Host Endorsements

5. Product Placement / Product Discussion

6. Sponsored Interstitials

7. Special Episodes

8. Advertorials / Interviews

9. Infomercials

COLLATERALS

Definition:  All the other real estate that a podcaster has that may be included as part of an advertising or sponsorship package, or as separate items a lá carte.

Examples:

1. Show notes on podcast website

2. ID3 tags in podcast episode file

3. Album Art Cards

4. Link and banner in enhanced audio podcasts

5. Overlays, underlays in video podcasts

6. Web banners, buttons, text links, hyperlinks (using IAB standards)

7. Email sponsorships

8. Press Releases

9. Product sales (CDs, DVDs, merchandise)

10. Signage/Outdoor (for retail)

11. Brochures, flyers

Chair for the Advertising Standards Committee and National Podcasting System founder and CEO Brian McMahon stated:  “The ratified standards encapsulate a long history of advertisement units that are applicable in the downloadable arena.  This provides publishers, advertisers and agencies with a solid footing and shared vocabulary for value and monetization opportunity.”

Because there are two ways a content creator can get access to audience data, the ADM now recognizes two types of effective measurement techniques, Native Server Measurement or Third Party Measurement. Both are approved by the ADM in providing accurate data when complying with the standards parameters:

Native Server Measurement (NSM)

The Native Server is the actual end point where the media is hosted. Native Server Measurement refers to the log files derived from the Native Server. It may include the amount of data that was transferred in each log entry, and therefore may provide information to derive more than simple download statistics.

Third Party Measurement (TPM)

A Third Party server is the intermediary between the Native Server and another Third Party Server. Third Party Measurement refers to the files measuring the initial download requests as received by a third party server to be delivered to the requester. Because the Third Party server is a constant, it may uniformly measure download statistics across multiple hosting services.

Download Measurement Committee head, Angelo Mandato, CIO of Raw Voice, Inc. added:  “The ADM has worked closely with the very organizations that will embrace these measurements ensuring they can be easily applied and replicated across the industry by any creator or aggregator of downloadable media.  It is our goal to be the cornerstone of measurement practices and the just released standards represent only the beginning of the available opportunity for both the buyer and seller.”

The Association for Downloadable Media is committed to advancing its charter: creating a landscape favorable to the commercialization of portable media. The ADM’s focus includes revenue generation from advertising and sponsorships of audio and video podcasts, (aka vidcasts, or vlogs), and other digital content distributed via RSS, ATOM, peer-to-peer, mobile devices, downloads from Web sites and other platforms to come.

About the ADM

The Association for Downloadable Media is focused on providing standards for advertising and audience measurement for episodic and downloadable media. The organization’s constituents include individual podcasters, media companies, publishers, syndication companies and distributors offering downloadable media, advertising agencies, marketers, technology suppliers, hardware and software manufacturers of portable media products and services, market research firms and audience and advertising effectiveness measurement companies. Through our volunteer membership, we provide leadership in and organization of advertising and audience measurement standards, research, education and advocacy to all those involved in portable media (Podcasts/ATOM/RSS media enclosures) across the Internet, iPods, MP3 players, mobile devices, P2P and other upcoming platforms.

Copyright © 2008 Association for Downloadable Media.
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Your comments are requested…

The panel included Nathalie Schwarz from Channel 4, Matt Wells, Head of Audio from Guardian Unlimited, Sarah Prag from the BBC, and noted independent radio / podcast producers Hermeet Chadha and Karen Pearson. The session covered many issues around podcasting, including definition, production values, regulation, culture, expectations of both listeners and viewers, metrics, and the commercial realities of making podcasting pay.Dean Whitbread from Talking Voices and the UK Podcasters Association takes part in the question and answer session in part two, talking about video and the Association for Downloadable Media initiative.

This podcast is in two parts, encoded at 96kbps, and currently not delivered via RSS, so we thought we’d oblige.

Key players from many sides of the podcasting industry, including Apple Inc., BlogTalkRadio, Kiptronic, Wizzard Media/LibSyn, NPR, Nielsen Online, Personal Life Media, Inc., Podbridge, PodTech, PodShow, Podtrac, Porter Novelli, Rev3 and Vogele & Associates have taken on the task of standardising podcasting, along the lines of “related industry organizations, publishers and agencies such as the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) and the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA).”

Five initial committees will be formed immediately to address: advertising standards, measurement, outreach/education, terminology and membership. Membership application is now open on the ADM Web site at www.downloadablemedia.org.

Nominations for the executive seats, advisory board and committee chairs will take place this summer.

“This is a big move towards the establishment of podcast metrics, which interestingly doesn’t include Google, Microsoft, AOL, Yahoo but which is backed by Apple and Wizzard,” said Dean Whitbread, Talking Voices.

On current estimates, Wizzard via LibSyn control about 30% of RSS internet traffic. RSS derived traffic – blogs, podcasts, etc. – now accounts for an estimated 10% of total internet activity.

Still wearing the “just bought by Google” tshirt, popular rival Feedburner’s system controls around 60% of all RSS traffic.

If significant numbers of independent publishers join ADM, it’s more likely that its influence in determining exactly what measurements to apply to podcasting could extend further, with the rest of the industry converging on shared standards.