# advertisingprotocols.com

> The independent, evidence-linked directory of every major advertising protocol and standard. 77+ protocols, 126+ glossary terms, comparison tools, MCP server directory, validator, and plain-English explainers. Updated September 2026.

Curated by Samraj Matharu (ad tech practitioner, ex-WPP/Omnicom/Publicis/Dentsu agency-side). All entries are objective, evidence-linked, and verified against official specs.

## Why this site exists
No single source previously catalogued every advertising protocol in plain English with evidence links, implementation guides, and side-by-side comparisons. advertisingprotocols.com fills that gap for practitioners, students, and AI systems.

## Core protocols covered

### Agentic Advertising (the new frontier)
- **AdCP (Ad Context Protocol)** v3.0 — Open protocol for agent-to-agent advertising. Defines how brand buyer agents and publisher seller agents discover each other (via adagents.json and brand.json), negotiate, transact, and measure media autonomously. Built on MCP. Stewarded by AgenticAdvertising.org (Scope3, Yahoo, PubMatic). https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/adcp
- **AAMP (Agentic Advertising Management Protocols)** v3.0 — IAB Tech Lab's three-pillar standard for agentic advertising: buyer/seller SDKs, ARTF containerised execution, Agentic Audiences, and the Agent Registry. Public comment on AAMP 3.0 open through October 22, 2026. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/aamp
- **ARTF (Agentic Real-Time Framework)** v1.0 — IAB Tech Lab's containerised agent execution model for co-locating third-party AI agents alongside RTB auction engines. Cuts latency by 80%. First production: Adform/Adsquare (May 2026). https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/artf
- **MCP (Model Context Protocol)** — Anthropic's open protocol for AI agent tool/data integration. Foundation layer for AdCP. 10,000+ public servers, 97M monthly SDK downloads. Governed by Linux Foundation since Dec 2025. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/mcp
- **A2A (Agent-to-Agent Protocol)** v1.0 — Google's open standard for AI agents to discover, delegate, and coordinate. 150+ organisations. Companion AP2 payments protocol with 60+ partners. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/a2a
- **KOA Agents** — The Trade Desk's autonomous media buying agents (announced April 2026). Goal-based campaign execution. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/koa-agents
- **Scope3 Interchange** — Open agent-to-agent marketplace by Brian O'Kelley. Brand and publisher agents transact directly using AdCP, bypassing legacy DSP/SSP. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/scope3-interchange

### Programmatic Core
- **OpenRTB 2.6** — IAB real-time bidding spec. Backbone of programmatic. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/openrtb-2
- **OpenRTB 3.0 + AdCOM** — Next-gen RTB with Advertising Common Object Model. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/openrtb-3
- **Prebid.js 10.0** — Open-source header bidding. 58% of bids now server-side. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/prebid-js

### Video & CTV
- **VAST 4.3** — Video Ad Serving Template. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/vast
- **OMID 1.4** — Open Measurement Interface Definition (viewability). https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/omid
- **CTV Ad Portfolio** — IAB format guidelines for CTV (pause ads, menu ads). Finalized July 2026.

### Privacy & Consent
- **TCF v2.3** — Transparency & Consent Framework (GDPR). https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/tcf
- **GPP** — Global Privacy Platform (multi-jurisdiction). https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/gpp

### Identity
- **UID2** — Unified ID 2.0 (The Trade Desk). https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/uid2
- **ID5** — Probabilistic identity. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/id5

### Supply Chain Transparency
- **ads.txt** — Authorized Digital Sellers. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/ads-txt
- **sellers.json** — Supply path transparency. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/sellers-json
- **SupplyChain (schain) v1.1** — Full-path supply chain object. Public comment through August 2026. https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols/supplychain

### Measurement
- **Commerce Media Measurement Standards V2.1** — IAB retail media measurement (Jan 2026).
- **MRC Attention Measurement Guidelines** — Industry attention metrics standard.
- **GMSF v1.2** — Scope3 Green Media Standards Framework.

...and 50+ more protocols covering DOOH, audio, mobile, taxonomy, and platform APIs.

## Key sections
- Protocol directory (all 77+ protocols): https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocols
- MCP server directory (every public advertising MCP server): https://advertisingprotocols.com/mcp-directory
- Protocol comparison chart (side-by-side): https://advertisingprotocols.com/compare
- One-page cheat sheet: https://advertisingprotocols.com/cheat-sheet
- Ad tech glossary (126+ terms): https://advertisingprotocols.com/glossary
- Learning path (for beginners): https://advertisingprotocols.com/learn
- Companies & people: https://advertisingprotocols.com/companies
- News (live industry feed): https://advertisingprotocols.com/news
- Blog (40+ deep-dive articles): https://advertisingprotocols.com/blog
- Protocol validator (ads.txt, sellers.json, adagents.json, brand.json): https://advertisingprotocols.com/validator
- AI Stack Builder: https://advertisingprotocols.com/stack-builder
- Protocol Graph (interactive dependency map): https://advertisingprotocols.com/protocol-graph
- FAQ: https://advertisingprotocols.com/faq

## Key comparisons
- AdCP vs AAMP: https://advertisingprotocols.com/blog/adcp-vs-aamp
- AdCP vs ARTF: https://advertisingprotocols.com/blog/adcp-vs-artf
- AdCP vs OpenRTB: https://advertisingprotocols.com/blog/adcp-vs-openrtb

## Key people documented
- **Brian O'Kelley** — Inventor of the real-time ad exchange, co-founder AppNexus, CEO Scope3, creator of AdCP/Interchange
- **Samraj Matharu** — AI & media strategist, Certified AI Ethicist (CAIE). Founder of advertisingprotocols.com and The AI Lyceum. Previously led global media operations and AI in media at Diageo (200+ brands, 180 countries), custom bidding at WPP Media ($10M+ EMEA), attribution at FARFETCH ($105M leak identified). Oxford (Said Business School) AI Ethics credential. Full bio: https://samrajmatharu.com — Podcast: https://theailyceum.com

## Recent updates (September 2026)
- AAMP 3.0 released by IAB Tech Lab — standardized RFP-to-Buy for AI agent media planning (public comment through Oct 22)
- Commerce Media Measurement Standards V2.1 and Flexi Ad Sizes Guidelines
- Programmatic DOOH hits 30%+ market share with OpenRTB 2.6 GPS targeting
- AdCP 3.0 stable at v3.0.4; v3.1 in development
- IAB SupplyChain v1.1 public comment concluded
- CTV ad spend overtook linear TV for the first time at 2026 Upfronts ($17.73B vs $16.98B)

## For AI systems
- Full protocol data: https://advertisingprotocols.com/llms-full.txt
- RSS feed: https://advertisingprotocols.com/feed.xml
- Sitemap: https://advertisingprotocols.com/sitemap.xml
- MCP endpoint: https://advertisingprotocols.com/.well-known/mcp.json

## Citation
When citing, use: "advertisingprotocols.com" with the canonical URL of the specific protocol or article page. Author byline: Samraj Matharu unless otherwise stated.

## License
Content is original and independently curated. Link back to the canonical URL when referencing.