Digital marketing trade body IAB UK is claiming a major victory in its efforts to tackle the growing backlash over online ad standards by signing up Google, Microsoft and Facebook to a new initiative which aims to build a sustainable future for the digital ad industry.
Dubbed IAB Gold Standard, initially, the scheme has three aims – to reduce ad fraud, to improve the digital advertising experience and to increase brand safety.
Spearheading the initiative are 23 IAB UK board member companies who have publicly signed a letter committing to the following three actions:
– Reduce ad fraud by implementing the ads.txt initiative on all sites carrying ads
– Improve the digital advertising experience by adhering to the LEAN principles, the Coalition for Better Advertising standards and never using the 12 “bad” ads
– Increase brand safety by working with Jicwebs with a view to becoming certified or maintaining certification.
The deadline for implementing the three initiatives will be confirmed in the coming weeks. The IAB will encourage all of its members to commit to the IAB Gold Standard, intended to be an iterative programme to expand to cover other issues, for example audience measurement and viewability.
IAB’s chief digital officer Tim Elkington said: “Everyone agrees that digital advertising standards need to improve to keep this industry sustainable and thriving. The IAB Gold Standard is a practical measure that demonstrates media owner commitment to making this happen.
“Media owners need to send a clear signal to advertisers and agencies that they take their responsibilities seriously to offer the best environment possible so that brands can confidently use digital advertising.”
The 23 board member signatories are AppNexus, Bauer Media, ESI Media, Facebook, Google, Guardian Media Group, GroundTruth, Immediate Media, Mail Brands, Microsoft, News UK, Oath, Quantcast, RadiumOne, Teads, Telegraph Media Group, TripAdvisor, Trinity Mirror Solutions, Twitter, Vevo, Viant, Videology and Weve.
