“The AdsML e-commerce standards for advertising have moved beyond vision and development to actual implementation,” says AdsML Consortium Chair John Iobst. “The AdsML speakers at IfraExpo this year are implementers who have gone toe-to-toe with these standards. They know a great deal about what it takes to make the specifications work in the real world. Their challenges and methodologies have much to teach all of us, and their successes show that the specifications do work and are adaptable to varying corporate and regional needs.” Iobst is vice president, Technology Group, of the Newspaper Association of America in Vienna, Virginia USA.

Multiple projects Indicative of AdsML’s flexibility.
Pilots highlighted at the recent IfraExpo 2006 demonstrated some of the different ways the specifications can be used. Specifications employed included Ad Bookings, Materials Delivery, AdsML Envelope and Controlled Vocabulary specifications, with plans already laid to use the e-invoice and e-tearsheet specifications in AdsML Framework 3.0. The latter specification is now open for public review.

– Ad Bookings
News International Newspapers Ad Bookings pilot, completed in May 2006, which tested bookings of travel-specific classified and display ads during a three-month trial. Report presented by Director of Operations Patricia Kill of Unified Publishing/Times Media, London, U.K.

Independent Newspapers (Ireland) and Papermule Ltd created a centralised ad production facility with Papermule’s Workflow and used the AdsML Ad Bookings specification as the standard for transferring bookings. Report presented by Joe Kirk, principal, K Media Consulting, Chichester, U.K.

The Los Angeles Times (USA) newspaper Ad Bookings project discussed successes and also reported extensive use of the AdsML Controlled vocabularies to bring disparate internal systems into alignment. Report presented by Jay Cousins, Senior Consultant, RivCom Ltd (CSW Group), Oxford, U.K.

– AdsML Envelope
At Kärkimedia Oy (Finland) an 11-month old ad ordering project now boasts 400 registered users, moves 12,000 ads a month. The organization is now planning for e-invoicing using AdsML Framework 3.0. Report presented by AdsML Vice Chair Harald Löffler, research manager for Ifra, Darmstadt, Germany

– Materials Delivery
An upcoming AdFast project of the UK Newspaper Society that will use the Materials Delivery specification (plans are laid to incorporate the Ad Bookings specification in 2007) — presented by Gary Cullum, Editor and Publisher, Cullum Publishing Ltd. , Hemel Hempstead, U.K., representing the U.K. Newspaper Society.

– North American Ad Agencies Put AdsML to Work
The “AAAA ebiz for media” project of the American Association of Advertising Agencies – the only effort driven by the agency sector of the industry – plans a proof of concept project by December 2006. Report presented by Tony Stewart, director of consulting, RivCom Inc., New York, N.Y. USA

“The AAAA ebiz for media initiative is extremely important in North America as it deals with the digitization of orders across ALL media,” said Alan Darling, executive vice president of Vio Worldwide. “We are particularly pleased that AdsML has been selected as the basis of the print media order schema for newspapers and magazines. The schema is scheduled for final approval in November and we expect that pilots to prove the schema between different sending and receiving parties will be developed late this year and begin testing in the early part of 2007.” Darling is a Steering Committee member of AdsML and represents Vio as a Founding Gateway member for AAAA ebiz for media.

AdsML-Compliant Projects, Products Coming of Age
“The growing list of AdsML implementations and pilot projects illustrates that the exchange standard is aiding in the advertising process for both advertisers and workflow production operations,” commented James Olney, publishing product manager for Agfa. “The implementation experience [that speakers] shared was valuable for the large group that attended the ’AdsML is Live’ session. Outlining individual project scope, successful steps, and challenges can be used by those that are planning implementations. We definitely will be using the information shared as we prepare for installations for our recently introduced AdsML advertising system – Arkitex AdCenter and AdControl.” Agfa is a long time supporter of the AdsML Consortium and a strategic partner.

About the AdsML Framework
The AdsML Framework for E-Commerce Business Standards for Advertising (AdsML Framework) is the first international data-exchange standard for managing the electronic transfer of information throughout the advertising industry. For additional information, visit http://www.adsml.org.

About the AdsML Consortium and Its Partners
The mission of the AdsML Consortium is to develop an open standard that will unify and extend existing advertising standards and automate advertising business processes — across all types of media, for all stages of the lifecycle of an advertisement, across all segments of the advertising industry, worldwide. It is supported by Ifra, a leading international association for newspaper and media publishing, IDEAlliance, a leader in information-technology solutions for the graphic arts print industry, and the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), which represents more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada.

The Consortium’s strategic partners are Agfa, Associated Newspapers, Ltd. and Time Inc. The Consortium’s members include a growing list of companies and organizations united to create a set of media-neutral, internationally-adopted specifications and business processes for the exchange of advertising information and content.

Click to download the press release

In the live demonstration at the conference, an insertion order, generated from Mediaplex’ Print media management system, was passed to Vio Worldwide’s Insertion Manager, where an actual Dailey PDF ad file was attached to the insertion order. This package was then digitally delivered to Quad/Systems’ AdSync where the insertion order was matched to the booking. The operation was easy to use, and the whole process took less than two minutes from end to end – with no re-keying of any of the insertion information utilizing the AdsML Specification.

According to Cullins, “This demonstration shows that the use of AdsML to deliver digital insertion orders is a reality now. Time Inc. intends to use this technology to respond to our advertisers’ requests to make advertising in magazines more timely and easy to use. We plan to pilot this concept with Mediaplex and Dailey, and, once proven, we will take this to our other advertisers. Vio is already our vendor of choice for the Ad Portal into Time Inc, and we are using AdSync in this demonstration to successfully show the proof of concept. We will, however, be developing our own EIO (Electronic Insertion Order) system in the future.”

Emily Weiss, EVP, Media Director at Dailey said, “Dailey is committed to innovation in every aspect of our business and we are continuously seeking better solutions for our clients. It is a must to move toward the total digital delivery of advertising. Streamlining the print insertion process is a critical piece to this goal.”

“IDEAlliance is proud to have been the host to such an important announcement and demonstration of the use of the underlying XML-based specifications and best practices that our organization has been instrumental in developing.” said David Steinhardt, CEO of IDEAlliance. “None of this would have been possible without the support of Time Inc. as a Strategic Partner in the AdsML Consortium, the cooperation of companies like Mediaplex, Vio Worldwide and Quad/Systems in the implementation of AdsML, and the vision of advertising agencies such as Dailey.”

About Time, Inc.
Time Inc. is the world’s leading magazine publisher, publishing 140 titles that are read more than 300 million times worldwide on a monthly basis and account for nearly a quarter of the total advertising revenues of U.S. consumer magazines. Time Inc. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Time Warner Inc., a leading media and entertainment company, whose businesses include interactive services, cable systems, filmed entertainment, television networks and publishing.

About Dailey and Associates
Dailey is the largest full-service Interpublic advertising agency based on the West Coast and one of the 25 largest agencies in the U.S. Known for successfully growing leading national brands, Dailey clients include Safeway, Princess Cruises, Dole, Cunard, Honda Motorcycles, StarKist, Best Western, 76 gasoline, Circle K stores, and Counrtrywide, among others.

About Mediaplex
Mediaplex, a ValueClick Company (NASDAQ:VCLK) provides technology and services that help advertisers, agencies and Web site publishers manage their online advertising and permission-based email campaigns. Additionally, Mediaplex provides the AdVault suite of software and services that help advertising agencies and other companies operate their businesses more efficiently, through effective agency management, media management, and content management solutions.

About Vio Worldwide
Vio Worldwide provides solutions to streamline and brand digital supply chains. The tools to achieve this include: customer-facing service portals; automated page composition; digital asset management; automated, remote preflighting solutions; remote color-managed soft proofing; standards-based integration of business and production systems, including insertion management and booking reconciliation; securely managed, tracked and automated online delivery; and innovative network design and outsourced 24/7 network management. Vio is a member of the Steering Committee for AdsML. Vio chairs the Asset Transfer Committee of CIP4 and is a member of the organization’s Preflighting and Advertising Committees.

About Quad/Systems
Quad/Systems is a new business unit of Quad/Graphics, the world’s largest privately-held printer of magazines, catalogs, direct mail and other commercial products. Quad/Systems represents client-facing planning and workflow systems including Impoze, AdSync, RAPS and PlanSystem3 for ongoing development, support and marketing. Learn more at www.quadsystems.com.

About IDEAlliance
IDEAlliance (International Digital Enterprise Alliance) is a not-for-profit membership organization that has been a leader in information technology and publishing since 1966. IDEAlliance advances core information technology to develop standards and best practices to enhance efficiency and speed information all facets of publishing – creation, production, management, and delivery of knowledge-based content – digitally and in print. IDEAlliance members represent a unique convergence of the leading publishers, printers, and solution providers. IDEAlliance provides a user-driven, cross-industry, and open environment in which its members can strategize, innovate, standardize, and implement solutions to real business challenges in publishing. For more information see http://www.idealliance.org.

About the AdsML Consortium
The mission of the AdsML Consortium is to develop an open standard that will unify and extend existing advertising standards and automate advertising business processes — across all types of media, for all stages of the lifecycle of an advertisement, across all segments of the advertising industry, worldwide. The Consortium’s efforts are supported by three associations: Ifra, a leading international association for newspaper and media publishing, IDEAlliance, a leader in information-technology solutions for the publishing supply chain, and the Newspaper Association of America (NAA), which represents more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. Agfa, Associated Newspapers, Ltd. and Time Inc are strategic partners of the Consortium. Learn more at http://www.adsml.org.

Click to download the press release

AdsML provides the advertising industry with an internationally recognized, non-proprietary, interoperable standard that, when followed, allows advertising and related systems of all media to speak to and understand each other.

“This round table is a prime opportunity for publishers, advertising and technology professionals to learn the benefits and strategies behind implementing a globally and consistent standard that automates advertising processes across all media,” said Owen Smith, president & managing director of NAA/Ifra Technical Solutions LLC. “Participants will hear from those on the front lines of this new technology and walk away with a better understanding of how and why the use of this new standard will help end redundancy and streamline their business processes.”

Speakers include:

* Allan Marshall of Associated MediaBase (AMB), who was an early adopter of AdsML. Marshall will outline the business and financial reasons for AdsML, and explain the level of company commitment for implementation.

* John Iobst, vice president of Technical Solutions, will provide a history of AdsML, its forebears and its future. Iobst also will explain what is meant by the AdsML Envelope and the AdsML Processing Model.

* Sally Winifield of Associated Newspapers, will tell how AdsML is being rolled out at ANL and the tangible benefits of the new standard, ranging from cost reduction to eliminating confusion in the marketplace.

The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 28, at the NAA headquarters in Vienna, Va. For more program information, and to register online, go to www.technical-solutions.org. (Reporters who wish to obtain press credentials should contact Sheila Owens, Sheila.owens@naa.org). NAA-/Ifra Technical Solutions is based at NAA headquarters in Vienna, Va., (703) 902-1900; e-mail information@technical-solutions.org.

Ifra, the world’s leading association for media publishing, is a service organization dedicated to the publishing industry worldwide. More than 2,000 publishing companies and suppliers to the publishing industry are currently Ifra members. Ifra is their forum to exchange experiences and to learn from one another. Ifra is a member organization and deals with all issues related to the production of publications in general. Ifra is based in Darmstadt, Germany and has 15 regional offices and representatives around the globe. Information about Ifra and its programs can be found online at www.ifra.com.

NAA is a nonprofit organization representing the $55 billion newspaper industry and more than 2,000 newspapers in the U.S. and Canada. Most NAA members are daily newspapers, accounting for 87 percent of the U.S. daily circulation. Headquartered in Tysons Corner (Vienna, Va.), the Association focuses on six key strategic priorities that affect the newspaper industry collectively: marketing, public policy, diversity, industry development, newspaper operations and readership. Information about NAA and the industry may also be found at the Association’s World Wide Web site on the Internet (www.naa.org).

The AdsML standard is designed to help publishers, advertisers and other participants in the advertising supply chain automate many processes that are currently performed manually. Implementation of AdsML will shorten deadlines, save time and money, reduce errors and create new business opportunities for all concerned.

This article provides a brief overview of the AdsML approach and discusses how it will interact with the software systems we currently use, from graphics packages to booking systems and media planners. If you want to learn more about AdsML from both a business and technical perspective, I urge you to attend the “Focus on Advertising” seminar on either Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 or Wednesday morning at 10:30 in seminar room 3.

How it works

AdsML 1.0 defines an XML message format that provides a straightforward and easy-to-implement mechanism for exchanging advertising information between software systems. You can think of AdsML as a large envelope into which other envelopes are placed. These other envelopes carry items like ordering information, creative content, payment and invoicing information.

An AdsML Processor takes this information from the business applications that created it, determines where and how it is to be sent. The packages are properly addressed and passed to the appropriate communications systems for actual transport.

At the receiving system the reverse happens. Once the authenticity of the sender is verified, the messages are unpacked and passed to the appropriate application for processing.

AdsML reduces redundant development

Currently, most advertising workflow is still handled by phone, fax and messenger services; there are relatively few connections in place that allow trading partners to transmit advertising information in digital form.

This situation is slowly changing as more and more publishers, vendors and advertisers integrate their systems. However, most of these early implementations are done in a point-to-point fashion, which involves creating a separate, custom-built link between each two systems that need to communicate.

The point-to-point approach seems straightforward when connecting just a few systems, but it means that commonly required functionality (such as verifying that a message comes from a trusted sender or that it is in an acceptable format) is implemented again and again each time a new pair of systems is linked up. Over time this repeated reinvention of the wheel adds up to a substantial extra burden, especially for organisations that have many types of systems or that need to communicate with many business partners.

By providing a common interchange format that can handle all of the different types of advertising information, AdsML removes the need to implement one-off versions of what should be common functionality.

This frees up resources to develop features that provide greater business benefit. It also creates an architecture that is simpler and easier to maintain, because the “gatekeeper” functionality for all of the advertising information entering or leaving an organisation can be grouped into a single place: the AdsML Processor.

Moving from documents to software

Like any digital information standard, AdsML 1.0 is just a set of documents. It won’t deliver concrete benefits until vendors and integrators provide systems that support the AdsML architecture. For most vendors this will involve adapting their existing applications so that they can communicate with an AdsML Processor (as shown on the opposite page), or in some cases adding the full functionality of an AdsML processor into their systems. A few vendors have indicated that they may also develop a standalone AdsML Processor, once it is clear that the marketplace will support their efforts.

Following this week’s launch, AdsML 1.0 enters a six-month period of public comment and evaluation. During this time, we expect to see several prototype implementations involving publishers and advertisers in both the European and U.S. markets. These early installations will give us the first concrete evidence of just how well the AdsML architecture will deliver on its promises.

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