The Pipe Dream Becomes Real: Advertising Workflows Come of Age

The past year may have been the most eventful ever in the development of efficient advertising workflows. A digital version of the infamous advertising slate can now be embedded in delivered commercials, using the Advanced Media Workflow Association's Application Specification 12. SMPTE's Broadcast eXchange format (BXF) can be used to exchange not only the schedule of commercials but also instructions to move them from point A to B, as well as move the full complement of their metadata. BXF is also developing the ability to move copy rotation instructions from agency to broadcaster, filling the biggest gap existing today in the workflow. Advertising digital identification (Ad- ID) bridges this gap, making unique commercial identification simple. With an ever-expanding array of delivery platforms, as well as targeted advertising, maximum efficiency for advertising workflows has gone from a nice idea to a must-have. The good news is tools are now availalable to make it all work. This paper shows how all the pieces fit together today using industry standard approaches, making the pipe dream of automated advertising workflows a reality.