Online bodies unite in bid to tackle digital ad mess

Procter & Gamble’s chief brand officer Mark Pritchard might be the lone voice on the client side in his calls for digital marketing to clean up its act but help is at hand from two leading US and UK standards bodies which have just joined forces in an attempt to tackle some of the biggest issues.
The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) in the US and the Joint Industry Committee for Web Standards (Jicwebs) in the UK are focused on slightly different but complementary issues but they are set on combating concerns over brand safety, buying transparency, fraud and criminal activity.
The aim is to transfer learnings between the respective initiatives to improve their effectiveness and create a united and consistent approach across markets to tackle criminal activity and clean up the digital ad supply chain.
It has been estimated that the digital advertising industry could gain $8.2bn by eliminating fraud and flaws in the digital supply chain in the US alone.
TAG was established by US bodies, the IAB, the Association of National Advertisers and the American Association of Advertising Agencies. Its primary focus is to fight ad-supported internet piracy, combat malware, eliminate fraud and promote brand safety.
Jicwebs is the cross-industry independent body responsible for developing standards for online ad trading and is made up of the IAB, ISBA, the IPA and AOP. Its primary focus is tackling fraud, brand safety and viewability.
TAG president and CEO Mike Zaneis said: “Since 2014 TAG has built programmes to tackle fraud, malware and piracy in digital advertising, as well as promote transparency and brand safety. However, the message from advertisers is clear: we need a consistent and joined up approach across markets and we look forward to working with Jicwebs to progress delivering this.”
Jicwebs chair Richard Foan added: “We have made great strides in promoting greater transparency in the UK digital advertising market, as well as minimising the risk of advertising fraud. But we need a global approach for local markets and I believe that together with TAG we will offer this.”

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