The value of content verification tools

The importance of content verification for digital advertising has never been higher says the ABC’s Richard Foan – and it is essential if brands are to bring transparency and trust to their campaigns.

In 2012 digital advertising spend crossed the £5 billion mark, reaching a new record high and increasing by £607 million (12.5%) since 2011, according to the latest IAB digital ad spend report.

This rise has continued into 2013 with the IPA’s Q2 Bellwether reporting an upward revision of 17.4% for Internet marketing spend. While this figure encompasses not just ad spend but SEO, social media and all other myriad forms of online marketing, it is safe to assume that an upward revision of online ad spend is included within this overall figure.

Such an ever-increasing investment in digital ad spend has naturally led to a revolution in ad purchasing, with buyers relying on new and innovative technologies to secure ad space online. After all, as the breadth and pace of ad placement opportunities increases, the opportunity for programme based trading is welcomed by many.

With the aim of optimising the ad buying process that is increasingly complex, automation and real time bidding has taken a front seat. As such processes became more commonplace, brands naturally also become increasingly preoccupied ensuring that their online reputation is maintained through appropriate advertising and associations.

In the first half of this year the #FBRape campaign lobbied Facebook and major advertisers to take action against content on the social media site inciting violence against women. Advertisers such as Nike, Dove and Nissan suspended spending with the network, revealing that ad placement is a serious issue for consumers and, by association, the brands they consume.

Where advertising might be placed next to what they consider to be offensive content, viewers may make a negative connection with the brand. Consumers care and will be vocal, brands care and will expect their suppliers to help prevent ad placement against inappropriate content.

Today, media buyers want to trust that automated technology guarantees safe ad placement online. However, different tools offer different attributes, all aimed at reducing the risk of inappropriate placement. It is important for practitioners to understand the different attributes and choose the tool best suited to their particular needs for the specific campaign they are working on.

To bring transparency and trust to this area, our industry has asked for a standard measurement and verification process that operates alongside the buying process. ABC Certificates for Content Verification (CV) tools play such a role, looking at the merits of each system and how they help to improve the management of quality placement and brand reputation.

These certificates help reduce the risk of inappropriate ad placement by providing an assurance, through a clear auditing of the relevant system, understanding how it actually helps and how each system manages advert take down if needed.

The value that such a certification service can provide to advertisers and their agents in an automated buying environment is clear. Services that place ads are already working to prevent inappropriate placement, and have been since well before #FBrape brought the issue out into the open.

Yet it has also highlighted that there are still challenges to face. With ABC CV tool certificates cataloguing the pros and cons of each CV tool, media buyers and their agents are able to make more informed decisions.

Another benefit of using a CV tool verified by ABC is that online campaigns can have specifically tailored parameters. Inappropriate content differs depending on the demographic being targeted of course.

This is a well established fact in TV, where specific ad types – gambling, alcohol and pay day lenders for example – are banned from advertising during specific times of the day or during certain content types.

This is aimed at protecting specific members of society deemed at risk to that advertising. While the content alongside the advertising is different the idea is the same – certain demographics should only be targeted with certain ad types.

CV tools take this into account by understanding what might be inappropriate for one advertiser is not for another. The tools then allow customised checking for each campaign, checking that associated content is as appropriate as far as the advertiser is concerned.

This topic has also grown beyond that of demographic-appropriate content. There is increasing pressure from rights holders to ensure that brands also stay away from sites that enable illegal copyright infringement.

It is true that our digital world enables consumer choice, at pace. That choice is backed up by an environment where content is also user generated (UGC). This simple fact creates the challenge and excitement for brands. Engaging with a consumer in an environment that the consumer is already engaged with and contributing to, is great; managing the challenges around the content itself is key!

The potential for a brand’s footprint to stray into unwanted territory is real in our online world. Ad placement used to be a simpler process involving posters, magazines and TV channels where the content was managed by the organisation facilitating the advertising.

Now, however, with audiences using an unprecedented number of channels and platforms online, together with their control of the associated content in many cases, advertisers should be both wary and excited about placement opportunities.

That excitement will help drive creativity and engagement opportunities while risk management will help ensure appropriate brand placement. Understanding which CV tool is most appropriate a key aim of ABC’s certification system, a system introduced by the industry, for the industry.

Richard Foan is group executive director, communications & innovation at the ABC.