The new standards are based on three key planks. Firstly, ad-impression counting is conducted from client-side rather than server-side. Secondly, non-human activity counting is eliminated and, thirdly, consistent cache-busting will be instituted.
"The growth of our industry will depend on having common metrics to measure the effectiveness of online advertising," said DoubleClick Asia-Pacific managing director Ralf Hirt. "Without industry metrics, advertisers will continue to struggle to determine allocation of budget by channel."
In Asia, MSN, DoubleClick, Cathay Pacific, SCMP.com, Orbit Media, Financial Times and Nielsen//NetRatings have already reviewed and formally endorsed the guidelines
"The guidelines provide a coherent way for advertisers, publishers and agencies to measure online media, and help guide both experienced marketers and newcomers to the medium in the construction of consistently priced and accurately measured campaigns," added ADMA director Sophie Lottefier.
The guidelines were developed over a period of several months by a mix of organisations, including ADMA, global research body Esomar, and the Interactive Advertising Bureaus of Europe, the US, Argentina and Brazil.