IAB's revamped guidelines: HTML5 set to be new standard

The interactive marketing industry is likely to further abandon Adobe's Flash after the Interactive Advertising Bureau this week announced a rework of its guidelines that will make HTML5 the new universal format, industry standard.

With HTML5 currently out-performing Flash, the change to the voluntary guidelines are set to happen within the next year and will be open for public comment until September 18, allowing the industry to suggest changes and additions.

A number of recurring problems with Flash, including being blocked on Mozilla’s Firefox, and an inability to run it on iPhones or iPads has in part led to the change, with Adobe Senior Product Manager Sarah Hunt reported as saying HTML5 will provide "an exciting new playground for ad publishers to distribute content."

Adobe reportedly supports the shift, which is “only the first step in the process of helping the industry transition into an HTML5 dominant landscape," said Hunt.

Flash has been widely accepted as the industry standard for years, but as Steve Jobs explained in a 2010 essay, the software platform has fallen victim to major security issues and is notorious for eating up battery life.

Director of production services at AOL Aaron Wood said HTML5 is "rapidly becoming the go-to for creating captivating ads that work across multiple screens."

Aaron Wood, Director of Production Services, AOL Premium Experiences at AOL Platforms, and Co-Chair of the IAB Display Creative Working Group. “HTML5 is rapidly becoming the go-to for creating captivating ads that work across multiple screens. In response, the IAB Tech Lab brought together a group of tech leaders to establish global guidelines that describe the path to integrate HTML5 and, ultimately, drive toward success at scale.” - See more at: http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-081715#sthash.iB5xpe87.dpuf

“HTML5 is the way forward, and that has become clearer and clearer,” said Scott Cunningham, Senior Vice President, Technology and Ad Operations, IAB, and General Manager of the IAB Tech Lab. - See more at: http://www.iab.net/about_the_iab/recent_press_releases/press_release_archive/press_release/pr-081715#sthash.iB5xpe87.dpuf

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