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Provides an overview of the Advertising Digital Identification (Ad-ID) system, with its use and implementation in Windows Media technologies.
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Microsoft Corporation
July 2006
Applies to: Microsoft® Windows Media® Technologies Microsoft Windows Media Encoder
ContentsIntroduction: What is Ad-ID?
What Can an Ad-ID Code Do for the Media Industry?
Who Uses Ad-ID?
How is Ad-ID Different than Other Media Identifiers?
How Can Ad-ID Be Used with Windows Media-Based Content?
For More Information
Introduction: What Is Ad-ID?Advertising Digital Identification (Ad-ID) is a centralized Web-based system that assigns unique digital identifiers to each individual advertising asset across all advertisers for all media. The system was developed and is managed by the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA).
Ad-ID replaces the Industry Standard Coding Identification (ISCI) commercial coding system that has been used for the past 30 years to identify television commercials. Ad-ID replaces other methods previously used to identify advertising assets. Put simply, it is an advertising identification number or code that is the equivalent of the Universal Product Code (UPC) used by retail outlets.
An Ad-ID is computer generated and stored in a secure database located at http://www.Ad-ID.org. Ad-ID codes are 12 digits in length—four alpha and eight alpha-numeric characters. The first four alpha characters make up the company identification prefix.
For example, an Ad-ID code might look similar to the following.
The ABCD prefix is used to identify the company. All existing ISCI prefixes are grandfathered into the Ad-ID system. Advertisers that do not have an ISCI prefix can obtain a new Ad-ID company prefix from the Ad-ID Web site. The numbers, 12340000, make up a unique computer-generated identification number.
The Ad-ID system helps you:Create unique Ad-ID codes Search for Ad-ID codes Generate reports Create, manage, and share metadata Produce traffic instructions and e-mail to the media via the Ad-ID system Interface with other systems, thereby eliminating the need to manually enter information, and streamline ad information throughout the entire advertising process
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What Can an Ad-ID Code Do for the Media Industry?As the new industry standard identifier for all forms of advertising media, Ad-ID enables advertisers, agencies, digital service providers, and the media to significantly improve the flow of information, scheduling, verification, and tracking processes. The system also makes it possible to use emerging technologies and electronic commerce, and to take advantage of new marketing opportunities. In addition, Ad-ID can help you reduce errors in handling, scheduling, broadcasting, and billing. The benefits of using an Ad-ID include the following:An Ad-ID code can help you reduce media discrepancies, because all codes are generated electronically from a central registry to ensure uniqueness, accuracy, and authenticity. In addition, it can help you control where, when, and how your ad runs, and it can be used by verification services to track when, where, and how an ad actually ran. You can use an Ad-ID code to create efficiencies, improve processes, and play an integral role in current and emerging technologies that track, verify, and measure the effectiveness and ROI of advertising. An Ad-ID can help you reduce the time you spend identifying, trafficking, and tracking advertising. It can also help you reduce the time you spend preparing reports and reviews, finding information, confirming instructions, checking on previously assigned prefixes and codes, and training new staff. It also simplifies the process of investigating scheduling or placement errors. You can centralize advertising asset management by entering critical information about each ad and campaign in the Ad-ID database. This way, the information is accessible to authorized users globally 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Ad-ID codes provide the standard for ad identification and provide a common language that enables computers to communicate with one another. Systems and environments need Ad-ID to avoid conflicts that could result from system-specific identifiers. With a permanent record of ad data in the system, Ad-ID can facilitate the real-time sharing of assets across offices or affiliates and the repurposing of advertising for special opportunities.
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Who Uses Ad-ID?The AAAA and the ANA launched Ad-ID in 2003. Since then, more than 450 companies have adopted Ad-ID, and over 40,000 individual codes have been created for various forms of advertising. The codes have been generated in the United States and several other countries, including Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Portugal, and Australia.
Ad-ID has gained support from major television networks such as ABC, CBS, Fox, NBC, and other national and local media companies. It is also supported by the following trade associations and software systems:
| Trade Association | Software System |
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Traffic Directors Guild of America (TDGA) Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) Outdoor Advertising Association of America (OAAA) Television Bureau of Advertising (TVB) Traffic Audit Bureau (TAB) Magazine Publishers of America (MPA) Cabletelevision Advertising Bureau (CAB) Radio Advertising Bureau (RAB)
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How is Ad-ID Different than Other Media Identifiers?In 1970, advertisers, agencies, and the television networks adopted the Industry Standard Coding Identification (ISCI) commercial coding system. The purpose of ISCI was to standardize the identification of television commercials to reduce errors in handling, scheduling, broadcasting, and billing.
To identify individual commercials, agency traffic or broadcast personnel manually assigned four numbers to the four alpha prefix to create an eight-character ISCI code.
Whereas an ISCI code has been used by most advertisers to identify television ads, there are vast inconsistencies in the way advertisers and agencies identify advertising for other media. The code for a radio spot is different in structure than the code for a print ad. There are also differences in coding ads for the same medium across agencies.
To bring more accuracy to the coding process, consistency to ad identification, and to provide the foundation for digital convergence, the AAAA and the ANA created a new identification system for the industry that provides one system for all media, and one code for all systems.
Ad-ID
The Advertising Digital Identifier (Ad-ID) is for all forms of advertising regardless of medium, and is the successor to the ISCI, which is the broadcast television advertising system. It overlaps ISAN for some audiovisual works, but is constrained in practice to advertising works. An advertising work may have both an Ad-ID and an ISAN. For more information, please see the ISAN Web site.
ISAN
The International Standard Audiovisual Number (ISAN) is for works with moving pictures, or parts directly related to works with moving pictures (such as a full audio track of a feature film). ISAN is for finished works and exchange between potentially unrelated commercial entities. It is not for print media, audio-only works, or unpublished production material.
| Ad-ID | ISAN |
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Premise
| Replaces ISCI system, providing a unique complete code.
| Used in conjunction with Ad-ID for some audiovisual works.
| Code Usage
| Digital code that can be used in all environments and applications.
| Digital code that is used only in audiovisual works and not applicable in all environments and applications.
| Code Format
| The twelve character Ad-ID code offers an unlimited number of unique codes.
| An ISAN is a 96-bit number comprised of three fields: a root, an episode or part, and an optional version.
| Media
| Used for all forms of advertising regardless of medium (TV, radio, print, Internet, etc.).
| Used for works with moving pictures or parts directly related to works with moving pictures.
| Storage
| A record stored in a database accessible to authorized users.
| A number registered in a central registry.
| Metadata
| Accommodates substantial data about each ad.
| Accommodates substantial data about each audiovisual work.
| Creation
| System generated.
| System generated.
| Application
| Used for trafficking, scheduling, reporting, analyses, and ad management.
| Used for archive identification, rights management, royalty management, television program guide linking, and audience measurement.
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How Can Ad-ID Be Used with Windows Media-Based Content?Many commercials already have a registered Ad-ID code. When preparing to encode or transcode previously published content, you might only need to search for an existing Ad-ID. To search for an Ad-ID code, create a user account on the Ad-ID Web site. On the home page you will see a list of existing prefixes that you have access to. Click on the prefix to see what codes are listed. Click a specific code to see further details about the listing.
To create an Ad-ID, go to the Ad-ID Web site, click Getting Started, and review the new user instructions.
In Microsoft® Windows Media® Encoder 9 Series, metadata attributes are easily defined in the encoding profile, which can be created on the fly or saved as a template for later use. The following illustration shows the encoder properties panel during the creation of a new profile. The Ad-ID can be entered in the Description field.
For existing Windows Media (.wmv or.wma) files and Advanced System Format (.asf) files you can use the Windows Media File Editor, a companion utility that is bundled with Microsoft Windows Media Encoder 9 Series. To do this, load an existing media file into the editor, then paste the number into one of the standard attribute fields.
Once the edited file is saved, the identifier becomes part of its internal metadata. The benefit of this method is ease of implementation, as it does not require extensive familiarity with Windows Media tools for successful implementation.
This example provides just a hint of how Windows Media-based content can be customized for use with Ad-ID. For those who wish to explore the options further, there are a variety of technical resources available. These include the Microsoft Windows Media Software Development Kit (SDK) and the Microsoft Press® book, Fundamentals of Programming the Microsoft Windows Media Platform. The Windows Media Web site also provides a wealth of additional information, including links to third-party authoring and development tools for the Windows Media platform. For more information, see the Windows Media Web site.
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For More InformationTo download Windows Media Encoder 9, Windows Media Player 10, and other Windows Media platform components, go to the Windows Media Download Center. For more information about the Ad-ID standards, see the Ad-ID Web site. For more information about the International Standard Audiovisual Number (ISAN), see the ISAN Web site. For more information about the American Association of Advertising Agencies (AAAA), see the AAAA Web site. For more information about the Association of National Advertisers, Inc., (ANA), see the ANA Web site.
Web addresses can change, so you might be unable to connect to the Web site or sites mentioned here.
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