The ISBA and the IPA have teamed up to launch a new online brand safety scheme amidst ongoing fallout from adverts popping up on the likes of highly offensive Facebook group pages.
Designed to protect advertisers from the reputational damage that can arise from such faux pas the joint initiative will see suppliers and facilitators of online advertising asked to commit in principle to having their checks and balances for ad misplacement independently verified by August.
These will be measured against a set of good practice principles which have been drafted up by both organisations.
David Ellison, ISBA’s marketing services manager, said: “Advertisers take online brand safety very seriously, as an advert served against inappropriate content can result in considerable reputational damage. Latest concerns over Facebook pages have brought into sharp focus the need to reduce the risk of ad misplacement across the digital trading market. Advertisers need to have confidence in the systems they rely on, including Facebook.”
Nigel Gwilliam, head of digital at the IPA, added: “Our members take online brand safety very seriously and have asked us to promote good practice amongst suppliers. We would like to congratulate all of the intermediaries listed here for stepping up to the plate. There will be future announcements as this programme and related ones expand but all credit to these businesses for being the first to commit.”