IAB Tech Lab has announced a significant update to OpenRTB, introducing Extended Content Identifiers (ECI) to enhance transparency and efficiency in programmatic advertising. This advancement aims to improve how content is classified and transacted within the digital advertising ecosystem, reinforcing the principle that high-quality content is central to effective advertising.
Enhancing Content Transparency
The new ECI framework allows publishers to provide more granular metadata about content, giving advertisers deeper insights when making programmatic buying decisions. By extending OpenRTB to support standardized content attributes, such as genre, format, and language, buyers can better align their campaigns with the most relevant inventory. This is particularly important as we see continued shifts in investment towards addressable television.
“We have been discussing signal density with our members for some time now as they have been somewhat anemic. Without visibility into program-level content data, advertisers are reluctant to invest regardless of whether the content is premium or not, said Sonia Carreno, President of IAB Canada, “we are tremendously grateful for this work from the IAB Tech Lab Working Group as it addresses a major blind spot that was hindering confident investment in video advertising”. She added “as with all new technical developments designed to safeguard or improve the supply chain, they only work when they are implemented, and we strongly encourage our members to do so”.
Implications for Advertisers and Publishers
For advertisers, the introduction of ECI means greater precision in targeting and a stronger assurance that their ads are being placed in brand-appropriate environments. Publishers, on the other hand, benefit from clearer differentiation of their content, which can lead to increased demand and higher yield on premium placements.
Strengthening the Value of Premium Content
As digital advertising continues to evolve, IAB Tech Lab’s efforts reinforce the importance of content quality in programmatic transactions. By enabling more robust content classification, the new identifiers help maintain trust and value in the digital supply chain.
IAB Canada continues to support advancements in digital advertising that foster transparency, efficiency, and brand safety. As the industry adapts to these new standards, we encourage our members to explore how ECI can enhance their programmatic strategies and to take advantage of the open commentary period which will end on April 10, 2025.
We look forward to discussing this with our Ad Tech and Execution Centre of Excellence members.
For more details, check out IAB Tech Lab’s blog post here.