Display specialist InSkin Media is the first ad tech to receive the Internet Advertising Bureau’s (IAB) Gold Standard, an initiative launched in October last year in efforts to “raise standards” across the industry.
Inskin Media is the second company to receive Gold Standard certification, following publisher Auto Trader.
The seal confirms that Inskin’s ad practices conform to the Standard’s three criteria; reducing ad fraud by implementing ads.txt initiative, obtaining JICWEBs DTSH certification for brand safety, and adherence to the IAB’s LEAN principles and the Coalition for Better Advertising Standards. The initiative was approved by 23 IAB UK board member companies including Bauer Media, Facebook, Google, Guardian Media Group, News UK, Oath, TripAdvisor and Twitter.
The Gold Standard initiative arrives at a time where members of the digital advertising supply chain need to work harder than ever to prove commitment to transparency in regard to costs and placements, and the end user experience of the consumer, or in the words of the IAB, “a sustainable future for digital advertising”.
Advertiser faith in display ad serving is at a low, for example, while Google is cracking down on ads in breach of industry ad standard recommendations, so publicly conforming to initiatives like the IAB’s Gold Standard are becoming a wise move from both a logistical and financial perspective.
Since its launch less than two months ago, more than 60 member companies have registered, said the IAB UK’s chief digital officer, Tim Elkington, who added that Inskin Media’s certification demonstrates their commitment to improving standards by fighting ad fraud, discouraging ad blocking and maximising brand safety.
Commenting on the certification, Inskin’s CMO, Fran Cowan, said; “The IAB is doing a great job in uniting all sides of the ad tech ecosystem who are committed to good practice.
“Adhering to the Gold Standard provides clients with the reassurance that they can trust us to deliver both transparency and good quality campaigns.”