IAB Tech Lab has announced the new ‘Ad Product Taxonomy 2.0’ which aims to improve the programmatic ecosystem. As per IAB Tech Lab, the updated taxonomy made specifically for identifying advertiser products will make it easier for advertisers to identify themselves and help provide a layer of data for publishers.

The company has made a fundamental shift to focus on products, not concepts with ‘Ad Product Taxonomy 2.0’. For example, within the existing Content Taxonomy alcohol is listed under Food & Drink. While it may be appropriate for a restaurant review or recipe blog to make reference to alcohol, an actual ad for an alcoholic product is very different and poses real issues for publishers.

By focusing on the products themselves, IAB TECH LAB aimed to create a new taxonomy that better fits the important use case of a publisher trying to understand and manage inbound ad creatives.

IAB TECH LAB recommend buyers and sellers start having conversations with their partners to determine a timeline for support so they can plan appropriately. The Taxonomy and Mapping Working Group will now pivot to a mapping between the long deprecated Content Taxonomy 1.0 and Ad Product 2.0. More information can be found on the Taxonomy and Mapping Working Group page.