And advertisers continue to demonstrate they are happy to pay a premium for standard formats that offer the highest level of creative flexibility. The same will hold true on the Internet. I recall another recent ClickZ article that questioned whether we truly need online advertising standards. Again, let's think about this. Every other mainstream medium has standards of format and measurement.
Standards make the advertising development and evaluation process more efficient for advertisers.
I agree that standards shouldn't exist where they are not needed, but standards should be established and supported when they can have a direct, positive impact on facilitating the growth of this medium. If the Internet is to become the mainstream medium we all want it to be, we need to attract the large, brand-name advertisers. Enable them with the kind of creative flexibility they have become accustomed to in traditional media - offered in a standard, turnkey manner. The Internet already has the reach. Now we need the message.