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Ad Fraud Auditing Digital Marketing

The anatomy of an audited digital publisher

Alliance for Audited Media

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August 2, 2021 | 5 min read

With the acceleration and growth of digital advertising, marketers are recognizing the value of partnering with audited digital publishers, which are a foundational component of a safe media supply chain

With the acceleration and growth of digital advertising, marketers are recognizing the value of partnering with audited digital publishers, which are a foundational component of a safe media supply chain. But since audited digital publishers are a newer concept, what does it mean for publishers to be audited and how do third-party audits help optimize marketers’ media investments?

Publisher audits are conducted by independent, third-party auditors with the goal of determining whether an organization is adhering to a specific set of standards or guidelines. Here we look at the anatomy of an audited publisher and share how audited digital media help marketers gain greater insight into their media buys and achieve better outcomes.

A commitment to transparency

At the highest level, an audit signals a publisher’s commitment to providing advertisers with transparency, separating audited publishers from all others. By engaging in an independent, third-party audit, publishers are showing that they are willing to participate in a process that takes a deep dive into their records, processes and data. This is the first step in proving their commitment to transparency and providing advertisers with a quality platform that performs consistently and generates results.

Verification by a trusted third party

Many marketers and agencies have a vetting process for selecting publisher partners and creating inclusion lists. For digital advertising, this process might include visiting websites and examining content to determine if a website seems legitimate. However, a cursory look at a website might not reveal what’s really happening behind the scenes.

A third-party auditor performs a thorough, independent analysis to gain insights that cannot be seen by simply visiting a website. AAM’s Digital Publisher Audit assesses the quality and quantity of website traffic by tagging the website, establishing benchmarks and analyzing website data. The audit also examines a publisher’s business practices and evaluates whether the processes in place are delivering accurate, reliable and consistent data.

For example, Trusted Media Brands, a publisher that reaches nearly 60 million people nationwide through sites like Taste of Home, Family Handyman and Reader’s Digest, uses digital publisher audits to give advertisers confidence in their platforms.

“The audit reaffirms the quality traffic of our own brands and gives our advertising partners peace of mind,” said Michelle Kim, vice president, programmatic and business insights at Trusted Media Brands. “Consistent auditing as an industry validates the collective strength of digital publishing and differentiates the audit participants as best-in-class publishers.”

Adherence to industry standards and best practices

An audit also considers whether the publisher is adhering to established industry standards and best practices. In AAM’s Digital Publisher Audit, some of the points taken into consideration include determining whether the publisher has implemented industry solutions such as Ads.txt, a tool created by the IAB Tech Lab to list all authorized sellers of a publisher’s inventory. Another audit point examines whether the publisher uses fraud detection vendors accredited by the Media Rating Council. By looking at a publisher’s integration of industry solutions, advertisers can have confidence that the publisher has taken steps to minimize fraud risk.

Lisa Pezzuto, senior product manager at Meredith Digital, described how using industry-backed solutions acts as a signal of quality for advertisers.

“Advertisers can differentiate between who has a valid audience and who has a fraudulent audience,” Pezzuto said. “A big part of the audit is us saying that we stand behind our media products, and we use AAM, TAG, TrustX and ads.txt to prove it.”

Audited domain list and ongoing assurance

Marketers know that data verified by an independent third-party auditor will provide them with accurate information that can be trusted to make informed media decisions. In the case of AAM’s Digital Publisher Audit, once the initial audit is complete, website traffic will be continuously monitored for baseline variances and any anomalies will be mitigated accordingly. Ongoing assurance ensures that the website will continue to perform as expected. All AAM-audited digital publishers are also included on the Audited Domain List—a free resource marketers can use to identify audited publishers to add to their inclusion lists and prioritize in DSPs. This list saves marketers time by leaving much of the legwork performed during the vetting process to an experienced audit team that stays up-to-date on current trends and solutions.

The importance of marketer support

Audits are an important tool to help marketers gain greater transparency into publishers and make better, more informed media buys. However, audit participation requires marketer support. Marketers need to ask their media partners to engage in audits and prioritize those who do. The more vocal marketers are about their support for audited media, the more publishers will participate, which benefits the entire industry.

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