The 5 Ws of media buying for better control and ROI
While programmatic advertising has made it easy for marketers to buy ads at scale, the nature of the ecosystem makes it challenging for buyers to see exactly where their ads are appearing
Fortunately, there are steps media buyers can take to ensure their ads are being shown on legitimate websites to real people. Here are five questions marketers can ask themselves to gain greater control over their ads and improve ROI.
1.) Who should I buy from?
With challenges such as digital ad fraud and supply chain transparency hampering advertisers’ ability to reach the right audience with their message, it’s more important than ever for marketers to know exactly where their ad investment is being spent.
Marketers that buy directly from publishers likely have established relationships founded on trust and communication, but these relationships are harder to achieve in the programmatic ecosystem. To maximize ROI and achieve positive outcomes, marketers need to partner with publishers that adhere to industry standards and best practices and have integrated multiple solutions designed to increase transparency in the buying process and throughout their websites.
2.) What industry tools provide greater transparency into media buys?
Many media buyers have a process in place to vet potential media partners, such as visiting websites to determine whether the publisher has a recognized brand, quality content or a legitimate advertising environment. But it’s also important to take additional steps to understand whether the site provides legitimate human traffic.
The industry has developed several solutions to give buyers greater insight into their media partners and transactions, and to detect and mitigate fraud. IAB Tech Lab’s Ads.txt is a framework that allows publishers to list all authorized sellers of their inventory. Buyers can cross-reference this file with Sellers.json, another tool developed to list authorized sellers and resellers of inventory. Partnering with an MRC-accredited ad fraud detection company offers a way to detect and measure IVT from an ad delivery perspective, while digital publisher audits allow advertisers to find publishers have taken steps to verify the quality of their website traffic through a third-party audit.
Another tactic is to select KPIs that determine real interaction and tailor campaigns to meet these goals. High numbers of impressions and clicks might give the appearance of engagement, but since bots are programmed to mimic human behavior, clicks don’t necessarily translate into genuine interactions. Building a media plan that values conversions over clicks helps marketers optimize their campaigns by basing media buying decisions on metrics that matter and investing in partners that deliver results.
3.) Where do I find legitimate partners?
The next step is to find partners that have integrated these industry solutions into the selling process. Several organizations have created ways to make it easy for buyers to find partners that have taken such steps.
The IAB Tech Lab Transparency Center helps buyers and sellers learn more about their advertising partners including the industry standards they adhere to and compliance program certifications.
The Trustworthy Accountability Group (TAG) brings together companies to set standards that promote greater transparency. The TAG Registry is a database of companies that have agreed to adhere to TAG’s standards and guidelines.
Publishers that have participated in a third-party digital publisher audit are included on the AAM Audited Domain List, which can be downloaded and used to prioritize publishers in DSPs and direct buys.
4.) When should I use these tools?
Many of these tools can be implemented during the vetting process when selecting media partners or can be used to create inclusion lists. By accessing resources and lists that have been compiled by trusted industry organizations, media buyers can save time in their vetting process.
5.) Why is it important to find quality media partners?
Ad fraud drains billions each year from advertisers’ budgets and steals revenue from legitimate publishers. By investing in quality media, advertisers will not only protect their budgets and achieve greater ROI, but they will help sustain a safe, transparent advertising ecosystem. Marketers will also avoid unknowingly investing in sites that convey misinformation or harm brand safety by publishing content that does not align with their values or mission. By seeking out and investing in partners that have taken steps to provide greater transparency through industry-backed solutions and standards, marketers will gain control over where their ads are shown, achieve greater ROI and help elevate transparency in the industry.