The Ad Creative ID Framework (ACIF) v1.0, defines a framework to enable a persistent identifier for ad creative at every phase in the video advertising supply chain. The ACIF Validation API specification enables companies to automate validating these ad creatives. This page covers frequently asked questions around both specifications. If you have additional questions, please contact support@iabtechlab.com.
ACIF is an acronym for Ad Creative ID Framework. This Framework is centered around the use of a unique ID assigned to a registered ad creative. Registering an ad centralizes the metadata associated with it and enables all the parties in the ad supply chain to access that data for use in ad decisioning, measurement, and creative reconciliation–across multiple platforms.
The ACIF Validation API is a specification that standardizes how calls are made to ad registration authorities to validate ads and pull metadata about the ad. It enables interoperability between ad platforms and ad registries to unify data and provide valuable insights to brands and their media partners.
A registered ad is filed with an ad registry and assigned a unique identifier used to reference the ad and any metadata associated with it. The ID issued along with the registry that issued it, enables an automated lookup that can be used in ad decisioning, measurement, and creative reconciliation.
The UniversalAdId is central to ACIF and includes two parts: an ad ID issued by an ad registration authority (registry) and the domain-level URL of the registry that issued it. It was initially introduced with the release of Video Ad Serving Template (VAST) 4.0 as an attribute for each ad creative included in the VAST tag.
Ad registration authorities vary by region. The ones participating in ACIF are listed in IAB Tech Lab’s Tools Portal. It requires a login but it’s free to create an account. Once in the Tools Portal, Navigate to the Data Explorer for Businesses, look for the drop down menu and select “Ad Creative ID Framework” to see a list of ad registries. Use the URL for the registry that makes sense to you to learn more about their programs and to initiate contact.
Ad registries are regional to a country and each have different pricing models. Contact your local ad registry for details. Log into the Tools Portal to find registries that support ACIF, and email support@iabtechlab.com to introduce us to a new registry you want to get involved in ACIF.
Nothing! Anyone can validate an ad with a simple HTTP HEAD call that returns either a negative (404 not found) response or a redirect indicating the ad was found. You may need to create an account with the registries you use for validation that returns metadata. Access to a deeper level of metadata will require the owner’s permission and possibly a subscription service.
Ad registration belongs to the brand, but creative agencies and media agencies can register ads on the brand’s behalf with their permission. Ideally, agencies (both creative and media) will include ad registration as part of their process for onboarding and working with brands.
Like UPC in retail, I can’t create my own barcode and expect standardized scanners to recognize it. For a UniversalAdId to work in ACIF as intended, it needs to be one assigned by an ad registry.
The benefit of a registered ad is the centralized creation, storage, and maintenance of all the details associated with the ad. This centralization enables publishers and ad tech platforms to verify the ad is registered and pull metadata associated with it.
An ad registry maintains records for ad creative and assigns each a unique ID. They also provide the means for third party access to validate ads logged in their registry, the legal structure to allow ad validation on the brand’s behalf, and the technical permissions structure to align with policies on who can access what.
Not directly. Ad clearance can mean different things. Some ad registries, like Clearcast in the UK, review ads and “clear” them for placement according to legal requirements mandated in the UK. For example, an ad that has been reviewed and deemed safe for placement in children’s programming is assigned a code that can be used in ad decisioning.
Another kind of ad clearance is technical, meaning that the ad has been tested for functionality in certain technical environments. This kind of clearance is usually done by networks, multichannel video program distributors (MVPDs), and publishers who have control over what ads are placed in their content. Similar to technical requirements, publishers might also clear the ad for alignment with business policy.
If you have a proposal for standardization on ad clearance or would like to get involved, reach out to support@iabtechlab.com and mention “ad clearance” in the subject line.
Anyone who wants to validate that an ad is registered and pull the metadata associated with it. Ad tech parties along the CTV and video ad supply chain will want to use an ad’s metadata for ad decisioning that handles frequency-capping, competitive separation, and other ad placement policies–especially when multiple ad tech platforms are involved. They will also want to be able to reconcile ad creative across platforms. This can save millions of hours across all relevant businesses.
As part of ACIF and especially as specified in the ACIF Validation API specification, four (4) attributes are required:
– advertiser
– brand
– duration (in seconds)
– language
Additional optional attributes are detailed in the specification but may not be supported by all registries. Beyond that, each registry has the option to provide a more granular level of metadata based on their policies and your account settings.
The ad’s registration account belongs to the brand and can be managed by an organization on their behalf. The owner of this information decides who it can be shared with based on agreements you have with your ad registry. Ad registries typically have the granular control to allow only authenticated users to access the ad’s metadata.
A simple T/F about the ad’s existence is available to anyone in the ad tech supply chain. Beyond that, ACIF metadata specifies four required attributes (advertiser, brand, duration, and language). Additional optional attributes provide more information about any related creative, the product being advertised, the ad’s owner, and a validation code (mostly used to comply with regional ad clearance regulations). Information such as the ad title, timeframe of the campaign, etc. may include competitive information and should only be shared with parties named in the owner’s account.
The UniversalAdId attribute in the metadata for the ad provides both the unique ID assigned to the ad and the domain-level URL for the registry that issued it. This attribute serves as the “fingerprint” for the ad.
The ACIF Validation API standardizes how calls are made to ad registration authorities to validate an ad and pull metadata associated with it. Building an API to this specification automates ad validation as well as the ability to use standardized metadata for ad decisioning and measurement. Later, reports can be pulled to reconcile ad creative across multiple platforms, saving hours of tedious work to track down ads because they typically have no consistent attributes logged in each system.
Ad registries participating in ACIF are listed in IAB Tech Lab’s Tools Portal. It requires a login but it’s free to create an account. Once in the Tools Portal, look for the Transparency Center in the menu on the left. Navigate to the Data Explorer for Businesses, look for the drop down menu, and select “Ad Creative ID Framework” to see a list of ad registries. Registry support for ACIF Validation API is listed for each registry along with the url needed for making validation requests.
Ad registration authorities can add themselves to the Tools Portal at any time using the self-attestation program. If you have questions or if you are working with an unlisted ad registry that you would like to see included, send them to our ACIF product page for information. You can also reach out to support@iabadtech.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
Validation requests should only be made for new ad creative. Once called, the validation and metadata should be cached to avoid subsequent pulls on the same ad. More efficient methods may be developed over time, but for this initial version, validation occurs with a request for each new ad.
Dynamic creative optimization (DCO) is unsupported as a component of ACIF at this time. Work with your ad registry on what options might be available.
For ads with related creative (not DCO), only the base ad needs to be registered. The same ad transcoded multiple ways is still the same ad and can use the same UniversalAdId.