NBCUniversal Adopts Ad Identifier to Help Fix Problems Like Ad Repetition

Collaboration between 4A’s and ANA expands on existing work on broadcaster’s Peacock streaming service

NBCUniversal is looking to clean up things like repetitive ads and brands running commercials next to those of competitors, which often occur in campaigns that span both TV and digital, with the adoption of the Ad-ID identifier backed by several industry trade bodies.

The Ad-ID system, which assigns a trackable, 12-character code to each advertising asset, was the result of a joint venture between the American Association of Advertising Agencies (4A’s) and the Association of National Advertisers (ANA). The announcement expands Ad-ID’s current functionality on Peacock across NBCU’s One Platform, the company’s advertising platform for marketers, and work for both linear and digital ad creative.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to collectively solve an ongoing industry issue: the need for frequency capping to address excessive ad repetition that’s a nuisance for the consumer,” Marla Kaplowitz, president and CEO of the 4A’s, said in a statement. “Ad-ID and its ubiquitous application across all channels and platforms as the data standard is critical to delivering the optimal consumer experience.”

Read more in Ad Age here.