WTF is IAB Tech Lab’s Ad Creative ID Framework?

By Tim Peterson • March 24, 2025 •

Ivy Liu

This article is a WTF explainer, in which we break down media and marketing’s most confusing terms. More from the series →

The streaming ad frequency issue would seem to be indomitable. Despite years of audiences and advertisers complaining about the same ad airing ad nauseam, the problem persists. But what if there were a way to address the issue? Better yet—

OK, you can see where we’re going with this.

There is a solution for the frequency management issue: It’s called the Ad Creative ID Framework; it’s from IAB Tech Lab; it provides a system for unique identifiers to be attached to ads so that advertisers, ad tech intermediaries, streaming services and connected TV platforms can all better track which ads are being sent where across the streaming ad supply chain.

Most importantly, though, ACIF already has support from major industry members. That includes NBCUniversal, Paramount, XR Extreme Reach and AD-ID, which operates as a registrar for IDs attached to advertisers’ creative assets. And Comcast-owned FreeWheel’s and Google’s ad servers have also implemented ACIF support so that streaming ad sellers can log which exact ads were served and report that information back to measurement firms and, in turn, advertisers.

So… frequency management begone, right? Not exactly because of one major holding point, as covered in the video below.