As an experienced digital auditor, the Alliance for Audited Media goes behind the scenes to examine the sources and systems of the underlying issues plaguing the digital advertising ecosystem. In a new white paper series, we delve into the issues of viewability, fraudulent and invalid traffic, and brand safety and transparency. All from a side you might not have read yet—the auditor’s perspective. Here are three steps all industry players—media buyers, vendors and publishers—can take to make the digital ecosystem safer.
1. Prepare for new ad viewability standards
Viewability is a logical goal that seems easily attainable: publishers should serve ads that can be seen by a human. Reality is far more complicated. Different publishers work with different vendors, and different vendors—even those that are accredited—use different measurement methodologies. Add in issues with browsers, screen sizes, ad delivery mechanisms and things gets complicated quickly. The industry is working toward solutions, but here’s what you can do now:
Media Buyers
Know where your ads are going and where they ran. Work with reputable publishers and networks. Talk with vendors about measurement methodologies to better understand discrepancies. Demand audited systems and data to ensure you’re able to transact with trust and transparency.
Vendors
Consider an independent third-party audit to ensure your technology and processes are in compliance with industry standards.
Publishers
Evaluate the advertising real estate on your pages and optimize placement for the best opportunity to be measured and seen. Disclose to clients which viewability solutions you employ and prepare them for possible discrepancies and reconciliation methods.
2. Recognize that not all invalid traffic is fraudulent but all fraud is invalid
There are several good reasons a website may have for generating invalid traffic including internal traffic or test environments. But there are many more ways a site can generate fraudulent traffic, here’s what you can do to combat it:
Media Buyers
Ask your media partners how they detect invalid traffic. Only use vendors and technology partners certified to industry guidelines. Agencies should take the additional step of following the IAB’s best practices for workflow, campaign set-up, site tagging and measurement processes.
Ad Networks and Exchanges
Vet your inventory and monitor it continuously. Provide advertisers with site-level information about where ads are running and who is seeing them. Become certified to IAB guidelines. Build brand safety technology into the ad server or domain engines that participate in RTB.
Publishers
Use internal controls to monitor traffic increases and implement ad tech solutions that are certified to industry standards. Most importantly, become certified against the IAB Quality Assurance Guidelines, which offer a framework for brand safety and trust.
3. Eliminate the bad players hiding behind good technology
Programmatic media buying has allowed advertisers to more precisely target audiences while helping publishers sell more inventory. It’s also created another avenue for fraud in the digital ad supply chain. Here’s what you can do to stop fraud:
Media Buyers
Only use exchanges that work with legitimate, validated publishers and take steps to refuse buying low-quality inventory. If the price seems too good to be true, it probably is.
Vendors
Get audited to IAB guidelines. Those vendors that comply with IAB measurement guidelines believe in providing accurate, reliable and consistent measurements every day.
Publishers
Avoid the temptation of buying undesirable traffic to fulfill commitments to advertisers. “Cheap” and “quality” traffic rarely go together.
Read AAM’s entire digital white paper series to learn more about the industry initiatives at play and find your role.
